Yondaime : The Strength of a Nation
by Yondaime-dono
Summary: A story about the 4th man to represent all of Konoha, and the events that shaped his life as Hokage. UPDATE! Chapter 5: With war looming on the horizon, a focused Yondaime reminds his village of its strength.
1. Chapter 1: Casting a Strong Shadow

A note: I don't own Naruto.  If you wish to argue about that, email me.  I'll prove it to you :-P

Anyway, if the name didn't give it away, this is a fairly long fic about the Fourth Hokage's time on the throne, and the conflict with Kyuubi.  I'm still toying with the idea of putting some of my own theories into this fic…but those don't come up for a while so we'll see.  Until then, enjoy the fic and please R&R!  This is my first fanfic and I would like some feedback!

**Note: This is an updated version...my first one contained parts where it was unclear who was speaking at times. I've tried my best to make it clear now.**

Narration

_Thought_

"Talking"

"_Stressing a point"_

"**Stressing a word"**

On with the show!  
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**_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation_**

**Chapter 1: Casting a Strong Shadow**

_Unbelievable.  Who would have ever thought?  Tomorrow, I will wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and see a shadow._

It was blatantly obvious to any random bystander that this young man was excited about something.  Despite that, very few of those around him actually knew what had him so excited.  It had only been an hour since he himself had found out.  Now, here he was, at the steps of the front offices of Hidden Leaf Village.  The boy walked carefully, taking each step slowly – seemingly savoring the moment.  As he did, the jounin guards of the establishment turned and watched, bowing to him lightly and smiling as he passed.

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For Sarutobi, it was an up-and-down day.  On one hand, he had made a decision that had been haunting him for weeks…at least that much was done.  On the other hand, he knew what all that entailed, and the consequences of it.  His eyes looked over the sheet of paper in his hand once again…but his mind was elsewhere.  Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, considering how right the decision he made was.  He chuckled, tugging on his gray goatee in thought.  _I know better than to second-guess these things…I'm forgetting my own lessons.  Poor me…I'm nothing more than an old -baasan now. _ Still, the paperwork needed finishing, and then…

A knock at the door interrupted his thought process.  Clearing his throat lightly, he turned his chair toward the door.  "Yes, enter, please."  The door opened quickly, and in came a youth.  Sarutobi looked quickly, then took a second look.  _Not who I first thought it was.  Maybe a few years ago I might have gotten them confused, but not now._  The boy…no…it wasn't right to call him a boy anymore.  Still, his smile was brighter even than normal.  His hair shined a brilliant blond, the sunlight from the windows playing and reflecting off of it.  Sarutobi looked at his watch, and glanced his way once more.  "Oh?  You're early."

A moment later, the young man's eyes focused forward on the elder one in the chair.  Quickly, he bowed, embarrassed that he did not when he first entered into the room.  "I'm sorry…forgive my intrusion, _Hokage-sama_."  

The old man smiled to him.  "You don't have to be so polite…"  The young boy's bowed head remained bowed.  Sarutobi decided to toy with him some more.  "After all…you are my equal, _Yondaime-dono_."  Despite not being able to see his face totally, Sarutobi could tell that the boy was blushing.  "Only 16, and already you are a shadow…a _kage_….I am proud of you…_Hokage Yondaime_."  

Both boy and man chuckled at the words, and the blond-haired man raised his head with newfound confidence.  "I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing you say that, _Hokage-sama._  And I won't consider myself your equal until I've proven that to myself."

Sarutobi-sensei smiled from his seat.  "You take your job seriously…humph…you need to relax some, even.  Come, have a seat."  Yondaime took a look around for an extra seat, but was surprised to see the grand Hokage rise from his seat and offer it to the boy.  Reluctantly, he took a seat, as his elder counterpart picked up his pipe from his desk and lit it.  "This day…is both a relief and a stress for me," the elder Hokage said while taking a puff from the pipe.  

Yondaime raised an eyebrow in curiosity.  "How so, Hokage-sama?"

"In truth, it makes me happy to know that Konoha will be in such able and confident hands.  I'm sure you will find as much joy in this job as I did."  Sarutobi-sensei turned and walked towards the window, taking a look outside at the sunny skies.  "But even so…it still wounds me in a way…to know my time is past."

Yondaime looked downcast for a moment.  "In truth, Hokage-sama, you are still needed here.  I am not capable of taking your job yet…I don't have the slightest idea of what a _kage _truly is."

"Don't worry too much about it.  I will stay for a few months until you get comfortable…**chuckle** after all, if you were to die from stress, that just means more paperwork for me.  I'll teach you what you need to know about leading a village, but you've learned most of it already…"

Yondaime was only halfway listening, lost in his own thoughts for a moment.  He mumbled something beneath his breath.  "I don't even know how I was chosen for this…why didn't Orochimaru get this opportunity?"

At the sound of that name, Sarutobi paused, nearly choking on his pipe.  "I see…if you don't see why you were better for this than Orochimaru, then perhaps I better explain that.  After all, someday, you will probably have to name your own successor."  

Yondaime sighed and replied.  "It's not like I don't know I'm capable or anything…both of us knew over 1000 ninja techniques…but he just seems so much more capable than I am.  He knows such a wide variety of tactics…he is certainly the strongest of us all, so why me?"

Sandaime turned from the window and looked back to his young apprentice.  "Do you think this is **just **about strength?

Yes…a Hokage must understand and be able to use over 1000 techniques…that's a basic guideline.  But, it's not a rule….there is a reason for that guideline, however."

Yondaime turned the chair towards Sarutobi-sensei and nodded, urging him to continue.  Sarutobi-sensei coughed and cleared his throat, then began once more.

"When you don the name Hokage, you **BECOME **Konoha.  Even if you happen to be the most pathetic leader ever, outside of this village you are still the face of Konoha.  As a result, when people are hostile towards Fire Country or Hidden Leaf Village, Hokage-sama is a primary target to be acted against.  If we had a minor tactician as Hokage and he got killed, it would be a huge morale change for everyone involved.  We can't afford the type of chaos that happens with a change in leaders very often…so our leader must be able to defend himself against the elite of this world.  This is one of the reasons for the 1000 technique requirement.  Another reason is the experience."

The look on the youth's face told Sandaime that he had just confused the poor boy.  He paused for a moment to let it sink in, and then continued once again…

"Think about it.  If you have learned 1000 techniques, then that means that you have seen 1000 techniques in action…and you've probably felt the pain of at least 700 or 800 of them yourself.  You know how to counter them…you've done it before…you're used to ninja combat.  And more often than not, by the time a ninja has learned over 1000 techniques, they have experienced death…of a teammate, a leader above them, a friend…someone.  All of these things are important experiences for a Hokage to have…they will help him keep perspective on his goals for the country.    And…they will help him keep his own ninjas ' confidence.  So you see, the techniques themselves are a deterrent to other countries…the experience gained from learning them is an encouragement to your own.  Both are equally important to the guideline."

Yondaime listened studiously, making mental note that Sandaime was a very knowledgeable person, and also noticing how much his new sensei _wanted _him to understand these things.  "So, the guideline is made to ensure not only a powerful Hokage, but also one who has experience in life."

"You're getting it now, Yondaime.  But again, power is not at all the most important ingredient in a Hokage.  If it were, then perhaps Orochimaru would have been the better choice…but he is lacking in a very specific area...an area so important to the job that I would _never_ pick him because of it."

"And what would that be?"

Sarutobi-sensei turned to face the young pupil, a focused look in his eyes…

"**Heart.**

True strength does not come from the fist…it comes from the heart.  In attacking, we attempt to destroy something around us.  We depend on rage, anger…rough and sporadic emotions to carry us through.  But it is only when we are defending something precious to us that we truly find strength…prolonged strength to outlast the enemy and succeed."

_That's important for a warrior to understand_, Sandaime thought.  _And even more important for a Hokage. _

"This village…is strong.  It was built on the arms of strong leaders, and its people will fight for their friends.  But, when a true struggle comes and their strength falters, they will need a reminder…of how strong they truly are.  THAT…is your job.  NEVER…**_EVER_**…forget that, Yondaime-sama."

Yondaime blinked, somewhat surprised by Hokage-sama's explanation.  A light scent of tobacco wafted into his lungs, but he ignored it, noticing that Sandaime had begun to speak again.  They didn't call this man "The Professor" for nothing.  

"You, Yondaime, may not be better at paperwork or battle than Orochimaru.  But, I have no doubt in my mind that if push came to shove and things got ugly, that you would certainly be the first to show our enemies the true strength of Konoha.  That is why you were chosen.  Orochimaru…is a great ninja.  I ensured that.  But, he is not rounded enough to handle such a heavy responsibility."

Yondaime accepted the information, and figured he may as well get all his questions out while he's at it.  "So…this may sound dumb, but what are the responsibilities of a Hokage?"  

Sandaime smiled.  _I expected him to ask that.  _"This paperwork is one of the minor ones.  Yes, it's important, but it's not nearly as important as anything else a Hokage does.  Of course you know the main goal of the kage is to keep the village strong.  If push comes to shove, you are the ultimate defender of this village.

But…before it gets that far, there are many more things that must happen.  You have to have confidence in the strength of Konoha…and know its strength.  Knowing your ninjas will get you out of many a tight squeeze.  Because we are a strong ninja village, we have many requests for services…knowing the limits and capabilities of all your ninjas will be highly important.  But more than anything, supreme confidence is key. "

"Supreme confidence, Hokage-sama?"

"Yondaime-dono….there is one thing you don't recognize yet.  You should live each day as if it were your last…leave no regrets behind.  That was my way of the ninja, and as Hokage, it should be yours."

"Sandaime, I…I don't know if I understand…"

"What I mean is…you should be ready at any point…to defend this village.  Even if it means putting your life at stake.  Konoha is strong.  But, even the strongest hearts have trouble standing alone."

Sarutobi-sensei turned, his focused gaze eyeing the tree tops outside, the glass reflecting his closed eyes and wrinkled brow.  "Every day since I became Hokage, I have asked myself if I was content with what I was doing.  If I couldn't honestly say yes, then I did whatever was necessary to gain contentment.  That way, if my time was called, I would be ready to go with no second-guessing.  That…is the way of the Hokage, Yondaime."

_Much like the way of the ninja…many think it is too harsh.  But, I cannot dispute the effectiveness of coming to terms with the fact that today could be your last day here.  Even so…perhaps I shouldn't have said that now.  He was so happy and excited..._

Noticing the somewhat saddened look on Yondaime's face, Sarutobi smiled momentarily and continued.  "Yes, Yondaime.  This is **anything but **a figurehead position.  The Hokage is truly the leader of this village…he makes the decisions about alliances…he oversees each clan of ninja and makes all the major military decisions…he assigns team arrangements …he assigns missions to those teams…he feels the pain and fear of the village ten-fold.  But for his work, he gets to watch a country full of children blossom into adulthood and do great things...and take pride in the fact that he helped them along and inspired them."  A smile silently crossed the face of both kages, each confidently knowing that the blessings of the job outweighed the burden.

The meeting continued on for some time, and the young fire shadow Yondaime would never forget the words of knowledge his experienced senior had given him that day.  He would live each day to the fullest; doing all he could for the village, he would make sure his heart felt no regrets.

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Holy crap…1950 words…sorry for making the first chapter so long…I just couldn't figure out a place to break it up!  I don't intend to make all the chapters that long…but who knows…

Well, that's the first chapter folks!  R&R…I'd like to know if I suck and am wasting my time…or if I rock and should finish this up….I've got like 7 to 8 chapters in mind but I'm not gonna waste the time if no one's gonna read it…

Not to mention…you should encourage newbs anyway :P


	2. Chapter 2: My, How Things Have Changed

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This is the last time I'll ever say this. If you later try to sue me over claiming something, I'll just laugh at you. I'm a college student. I have no money, baka. There's only one original character in this fic...you'll see that person shortly.

Response to reviews is at the bottom...it takes up too much room up here! Anyway, let's get started!

**_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation_**

**Chapter 2: My How The Times Have Changed... **

It was quite an amusing sight.

2 small students with entirely different attitudes were a few feet away. One of them--who seemed to be very competitive--was trying to get the other to race him. His mop-top black hair and hyperactivity were quite amusing, especially if you considered the calm of the other he was standing next to. The other student was simply standing there, ignoring him and looking up at the sky.

It was 2 days after Konohagakure's Academy Graduation, and the school had just promoted 15 students to the unofficial rank of genin. Whether or not all of those stayed genin or returned to the academy, however, depended on how their tests with the Jounin instructors would go tomorrow.

They all had the day off today, however, and one of the better known Jounin was standing on the edge of the playground that the academy students normally played on. These new genin had returned there, knowing nowhere else to go to just joke around. There, they joined the kids from the academy who had not passed, and playtime began. He found them quite amusing to watch.

"Come on! You have to race me! You don't have a choice!"

"...mmm? Did you say something?"

"GWAH! Stop joking with me!"

The Jounin chuckled to himself. _There are about a thousand things I could be doing right now,_ he thought. _But...none of them are a better use of an off day than watching the children. There'll be enough time for work later._

**_"Ahhh...I remember those days."_**

As a husky voice suddenly began speaking next to him, the Jounin warrior was startled out of his thoughts. _Eh?_ The Jounin raised an eyebrow. It wasn't very often someone snuck up on him. There were only about 10 people in the world capable of doing so, and he had a feeling he knew which one this was.

"Jiraiya-sensei."

The man next to him was dressed in long robes, the top of his hair very similar to the Jounin's own, jutting out in all directions. However, the man's hair was much longer, and where the spiky hair ended, his long, white hair extended downward, tucked into the back of the robes, out of the view of the young Jounin. His face showed the beginning of wrinkles, thought the smile on his face did well to smooth those out. **_"Indeed."_** Jiraiya did not turn towards the Jounin, but remained facing the small children. "It's rumored there's one in this bunch who may be smarter than you were at that age."

The Jounin nodded and turned towards Jiraiya, revealing a file in his right hand, and showing it to the great sage. "It's true. He's a strategic genius to say he's only 5. And somehow, he's got the skills to match it. It's not very often you have a 5-year-old pass the tests."

Jiraiya smiled and took the file, taking a moment to read over it. "Hatake Kakashi. A kid with an IQ of 122 at age 5. And that's on the same 12-year-old's test the rest of his team took." He took a look at the picture for a moment, then looked out in front of him. _Found him. Not that he's hard to find with that other kid bouncing all over the place. _"And he's already got grey hair. Quite amusing."

They both chuckled and watched as the grey-haired Kakashi finally got tired of listening to the other student's begging.

"Gai."

"**YOU'VE GOT TOOOO...**huh?"

"I'll race you."

"You will?"

Kakashi turned and faced him. Though the black mask over his mouth and nose--an extension of the black full body suit he was wearing--stopped anyone from ever knowing for certain, his eyes seemed to reflect a smile.

Gai's eyes brightened and glistened with happiness, and then he suddenly turned away from Kakashi, his fist clenched, eyes glowing with fire. Jiraiya burst into heavy laughter watching the boy give himself a pep talk. "YES! Finally, after years of training, I will have an opportunity to defeat Kakashi! I cannot fail! This will be the culmination of my life's training...hard work shall defeat a genius, no matter what it takes!"

Jiraiya rolled across the ground, laughing and gripping his sides, listening to the inspired 5-year-old rant on and on about his impending victory. _The culmination of his life's training...as if he'd been training for so long..._

The Jounin watched silently, the smirk on his face the only detail denoting he was paying attention, as his mind wandered a bit. _Only one person under age 10 passed these tests this time. They said he had few friends...this one seems to be comfortable around him though._ His eyes focused on the mop-top, wearing the green body suit and orange anklets. _So...that must be the academy student Maito Gai that is with Kakashi. That's got to be it._

Both of the boys got focused looks on their face as they got ready to sprint. Gai pointed off in a direction in front of him. "Sprint to that tree! On your mark...get set...go!"

The Jounin's jaw was dropped by the time he saw Gai take two steps. But, that wasn't because of Gai.

Even Jiraiya had to stop rolling and drop his jaw when he saw the boys take off, and noticed that Kakashi was moiving at nearly _twice_ the speed of Gai. It dropped even lower when he realized that Kakashi had no intention of slowing down..and that the boy didn't even breathe hard at the end of the race.

It stayed down when they heard Gai panting a moment later as he finally reached the tree, looked up to Kakashi, and hostilely yelled **"Best 2 out of 3!"**

The Jounin spoke first. "I think...we...just found...the bionic 5-year-old..."

Jiraiya rose from the ground and dusted off his robes. "No kidding. That kid's going to be something special. Good thing he's on your team."

It was then that the Jounin finally noticed what Jiraiya was wearing. "Ho ho ho...that's the _sennin_ outfit you're wearing...why are you so dressed up today, Jiraiya-sensei?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Seems you're out of the loop. Though, I have a hard time believing that an ANBU would be so far out of the loop as to not know about the major announcement today. Sarutobi must be off his rocker leaving them out."

The Jounin raised an eyebrow in mock interest. It was quite amusing..._Jiraiya is perhaps the only major rank NOT to know the full details of what's happening today, yet he thinks he's privileged to information. But...that's what the Hokage wanted. I hate to bait sensei along like this though..._

Jiraiya smirked some more, knowing he was going to get the chance to tell some secrets. "Yep...apparently the third Hokage has chosen to step down for some reason. He's even gone as far as choosing his successor."

"WHAT?!"

"Arashi...you really didn't know? I'm **really** surprised they left YOU out of the loop on that..."

As he heard the sound of "**Best 3 out of 5!**" in the background(along with loud panting), it took everything in the Jounin Arashi's power not to burst out laughing at his master Jiraiya for that comment. Things were going to get really interesting in a few. He couldn't wait to see sensei's reaction...

"Well anyway, Arashi, it's a high-class event. He's going to announce his successor at the event, and he wants everyone dressed in their highest military uniforms. Erm...hope your ANBU stuff isn't in the wash..."

Not that Arahsi didn't already know these things, but he completed his charade with a cringe. "I suppose there are things that I need to do with my off-day now...what time is the ceremony?"

"It's supposed to start at 4 this evening...even the kids who just turned genin are allowed to come. They'll apparently get to wear their forehead protectors as their outfit--oi...Arashi?"

The Jounin boy was gone. The area was silent--with the exception of an exasperated yell of "**BEST 4 OUT OF 7!!!!**" coming from Gai.

Jiraiya smiled, glad he had been able to spring such a surprise on his only student...he had always enjoyed surprises. Eventually his mind wandered to his past, and to Arashi's future. _Ahhh...the cycle continues, eh Sandaime? I trained that kid from a young boy...and now he's strong enough to train the bionic boy. They keep getting stronger, and younger...by the time this Kakashi fellow is old enough, kids'll probably be able to face ME one on one. Kakashi'll probably be training Orochimaru's kid genius with an IQ of 203...at age 4...as told by the 18-year-old's test...or something crazy like that._

_So...I wonder who gets to be Yondaime?_

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It wasn't anywhere near time for Arashi to be rushing to the ceremony. Since the Hokage had told him personally all he needed to know on the subject, he had prepared his clothes days in advance. Still, that gave him the opportunity he needed to leave without the sennin catching on to the real reason why.

He smiled. They didn't call the 3rd Hokage "The Professor" for nothing. To allow the man to speak required patience, and considering this was going to be his farewell speech, Arashi would take no chances. No way was he going to a cermemony that would require him to stand up--quite possibly for hours--on an empty stomach. Slowly, he made his way to the friendly Ichiraku Ramen stand, with full intentions of eating lunch alone and quickly.

That was the plan, that is, until he walked in and saw who was sitting at the bar. Without a second thought to the old plan, he made his way to the bar and sat next to the Jounin kunoichi(female ninja) he spotted. She didn't look up for the moment...seemed to be lost in thought or something. _Oh well,_ he thought. _I may as well order._ "Oi! One pork ramen please!"

The sound of his voice caught her attention, however. The girl looked up, her blue eyes brightening when she noticed him. "Arashi-kun? How long have you been sitting there?"

He smiled to her. "Just got here a moment ago, Nara-chan. How are you?"

Nara smiled back and lifted her arms, resting her hands behind her head and entangling them in her long, light brown hair. "I'm doing pretty well."

Arashi wanted to ask her what was on her mind, but for some reason, he felt shy at the moment. Then again, 90% of the time he felt at least a little shy around her. Something about the confidence she tended to ooze unnerved him at times. Now, it wasn't her confidence, but her look of thought from earlier that caused Arashi to pause.

Eventually, as their food finally showed up, the awkward silence faded into slurping noises, as Nara dove into her ramen bowl. Arashi always found it quite amusing…that Nara ate so much faster than him. Perhaps it was just because he enjoyed the flavor so much…then again, she did have two bowls to his one. Nara noticed how quiet Arashi was, and beat him to the punch. "Penny for your thoughts, Arashi-kun…what's wrong?"

The blond-haired ANBU blinked, and recognized the question. He looked down at his bowl of ramen as he spoke. "It's just that there's so much going on…that's all. The 3rd Hokage has decided he wants to transfer me from ANBU."

Naru nearly choked on the noodles she was inhaling. "What? Where would they transfer the second in command of ANBU to?"

Arashi looked at his reflection on the spoon he had in the ramen bowl with his chopsticks. "He wants to transfer me…to the genin field."

"WHAT?! They want you as a Jou trainer?" (A/N: There was a time when not every Jounin led a genin team, I'd assume…)

"Yep. There's some very interesting genin this year…one of them is 5 years old."

The girl took a moment to swallow some of her food before speaking. "…holy crap. Way out of his league. How'd a 5 year old even pass the academy tests?" As soon as she finished speaking, she filled her mouth back to capacity.

Arashi couldn't help but chuckle. "Actually, it seems he may be the most developed out of all of the new genin this year." He didn't even have to look…just by the fact that he didn't hear any slurping sounds to his right, he knew Nara's mouth was wide open. Which was partially why he didn't look…chewed, grilled chicken ramen wouldn't be a nice sight.

After sounds of swallowing and slurping, Arashi heard the clanking of a bowl hitting the table, meaning his friend was done eating. Her voice confirmed that a moment later. "Well…that's probably why they want you to have him. He sounds a good bit like you were."

Arashi raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well…he's way younger than everyone else in his genin class…meaning he probably doesn't have many friends. Probably antisocial by force…but once you get to know him I bet he's just like anyone else. Still, he must be darn smart to have made it this far…he's probably got more potential than anyone can estimate…"

Completely missing Nara's attempt at a complement, Arashi instead wanted to argue the idea that he and the boy were similar in not having friends. The rest of what she said,however, had hit the mark. _Truce._ He nodded, and went back to work on his ramen.

Nara turned to her fellow Jounin, at first hoping to make eye contact with him, but noticing that he was eating, she simply looked his way. "I agree with their decision…you're certainly capable of it. Heck, if you had the confidence in yourself, you would probably be Hokage by now." His ears perked up, but he instinctively continued on like she hadn't just said that. "Speaking of said person, you aren't even remotely dressed for the announcement…"

Arashi finished off his ramen bowl quickly, Naru noticed. "Well, I've got a little more time before then. I'm not going to get all dressed up until it's absolutely necessary…knowing how much 'the Professor' likes to talk, I could end up stuck in my ANBU outfit for a while." He cringed internally, thinking about how uncomfortable that outfit was, even though it was a great piece of armor. A small smile of contentment washed over his face as he thought ahead. _My last time wearing that thing…and then everything changes._

That same look of peace stayed on his face as he paid for both his and the girl's food, and they both made their exit. This was not overlooked by his companion. As they reached the fork in the intersection of two streets that denoted the fork in the road where their journeys would separate them, the girl walked over to a bench and sat down. "Kazama Arashi…how long have we known each other?"

Her question knocked him slightly out of the daze of happiness he was feeling, as he dug back to find that piece of information…

_"I don't get it…why are you so good at that? I can't even make one clone, and you're already making 3 at a time…"_

He smirked again as he walked toward the bench, not quite sure why she had asked that, but the memory was a good one all the same. "Uzumaki Narashima, we've known each other since we were 7…when I taught you bunshin."

"I KNOW THAT…that was beside the point." She looked up to him as he took a seat next to her. "It's just that…in all these years I've known you…I've never seen _that_ look on your face before."

His eyes widened slightly. _Geez…am I that obvious? It's a wonder Jiraiya didn't notice…well no it's not. The only thing he notices with detail is women._ Arashi raised an eyebrow to her with curiosity, attempting to cover the smirk. "What look?"

She laughed. "And now you've got a look like a kid caught in the act of stealing…but before that…you just looked…content. Like you accomplished something awesome and you were thinking back to it. You've never been one to bask in your own glory…so spill it. What the heck just happened?" She leaned in, examining his face in detail.

Arashi nervously backed away from her. "Erm…Nara?"

"Did you just come back from a big mission? Protect someone important?"

"Erm…no…nothing like that. I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

She took a look at him skeptically; a studious and focused look crossed her face. Arashi began to get a bit scared, not quite sure what was going on in her head. Suddenly, a sly smile slid over her face. _Hoo boy…that can't be good…what now…_

"Arashi-kun…did you meet a special girl…" His blush came quicker than she even expected. _Hmmm…maybe he DID meet a girl._

"NO!" He waved his hands back and forth, immediately regretting responding so quickly and strongly. "No…you're barking up the wrong tree totally."

Narashima wrinkled her nose at Arashi. _Why'd he respond that way? Oh well…have to bother him later_. "So…that means there IS something…"

Arashi frowned. _Darn…guess I screwed that up._ Looking up to the sun in the sky, he noticed it was later than he thought. "Well…I'll tell you later…heck, you may even figure it out on your own eventually." He smiled inwardly. _Knowing her and the way her mind works, that'll stop her from asking me until she can figure it out on her own._ "In the meantime," Arashi continued as he rose from the bench and began to walk, "I need to go start getting ready."

She sat there for a moment, watching him leave, and for the first time in her life she felt…confidence from him. In a way, it unnerved her, but more than anything, she was happy to see him like that. "See you later, Arashi-kun."

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It was now 4:30. Jiraiya could tell that much by the positioning of the sun. He could also tell because his highest attention span for anything was little more than a half hour, and that had obviously passed not too long ago. Sandaime's flair for the dramatic had everyone waiting in suspense for his announcement…so of course, the first thing done was the graduation ceremony for the new genin. _A creative way to make everyone anxious, old man…but still just a suspense tactic. Get on with it._

Looking around for a moment, Jiraiya noticed the arrangement of the rank and file of Konohagakure. In three columns of 10 a piece to his left was every Jounin warrior, dressed in full regalia…their jackets cleaned and filled with scrolls, kunais hanging from every weapon pouch. It truly was a spectacle of military power. In the other direction were 2 columns (10 a piece again) of ANBU. Much the opposite, they were wearing their animal mask and combat outfits, but not a single weapon could be spotted on them without knowing where to look. He smiled. Every single one of the warriors was standing upright, alert and prepared for seemingly anything that might happen. _Other countries should be invited to ceremonies like this…it would scare the bejeezus out of them to see this many Jounin and ANBU in one place. _Within that crowd lay Orochimaru, not because he was an ANBU (he wasn't), but simply because that was, for some reason, where the grand old man had wanted him to be. So within the vests and animal masks laid a snake-like face, wearing far more garments than any of the others around him, and looking quite annoyed. _So the 3rd did make us all wear the same thing. Go figure._

Jiraiya already knew the rest of the arrangement. Behind him, 6 rows of chuunin sat. Within that area was Tsunade, he assumed, as he had not seen her yet. And all around him were the seated, staring genin. All 20 rows of genin. The first 2 rows were the brand new students, just sitting down from having received their forehead protectors for the first time. It was really nice of them to allow the new genin to get the front seats, right in the middle of everything. That may also have been why the jounin and ANBU were standing. _If something were to happen, those children would need protection…fast._

For the next 5 minutes or so, Jiraiya began considering the possibilities of effective defense with so many people packed into this area, listening to the Hokage…until he noticed that everyone was listening to the Hokage. _I didn't even hear him start talking…guess I'm still subconsciously blocking out his voice._

"…I have been Hokage through a time of war between the ninja villages. I have had to give many orders I wished could have been avoided, but that had to be done nonetheless.

This is a time of relative peace between the ninja villages, and I have come to a conclusion. In order for that peace to truly be held, it must be held by someone who knows the full meaning of war. I have not been involved in a battle in ages…I am out of practice, and I am growing older.

Though I am fit to continue ruling if need be, I came to the conclusion a few months ago…that to continue ruling would not be the best thing for Konoha. There are many here…who are capable of leading; such is the strength of our village. But, if I were to continue to lead here, that strength would never be realized…it would be forgotten, and forgotten strength can easily become weakness.

All the same, I will never forget the time I spent here. This village has changed me forever. Seeing how you have fought on through tough times has strengthened me in ways I never thought possible. To this day, I am still willing to give my life for any one of you, knowing that it will not be in vain.

I am known as the professor…because I love to teach, and also because I talk too much." Sandaime chuckled to himself, letting his smile be seen. "So I will not drag on and on this time. I know everyone wants to know who I chose for the new Hokage.

This decision was made not only by me, but also with the help of the feudal lords and many of the special Jounin of this village. I wanted to make sure I saw all sides before making a decision that would affect everyone in so many different ways. In the end, the person I chose was chosen for his strength in dangerous times…for the calm and gentle way he deals with those around him…for his love for Konoha…and for his never-ending quest to repay the gifts he has been given. In short, he was chosen for his heart.

The true defining ability of a Hokage isn't some jutsu. It's his will to continue on when times get rough, and his ability to see the strength in others when they cannot see it in themselves. It is with great honor…that I pass this will and sight to another."

With a smirk, Sandaime Sarutobi searched the crowd slowly, everyone trying to read his eyes as he did. With a big smile on his face, attempting to hold in a laugh, he locked his eyes on Jiraiya.

Jiraiya paused, making eye contact with the third Hokage...his former sensei. For one moment, his face showed contempt, thinking perhaps he was being offered a position that he would never accept, nor even want to be offered. _He couldn't possibly mean me. I mean…get serious…_

"Arashi-dono…please step forward."

It was like slow motion. Jiraiya's eyebrows rose…then his eyes got wider. Wider. Wider still. His jaw slowly dropped open. And the sounds…

"wwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaat????!!!?"

It was all Sarutobi could do to avoid sullying the ceremony with a large laugh at his former-student, Jiraiya. _Yes…it was worth not telling him…just for that one moment of reaction._

As the leader of the ANBU stepped aside, his second in command slowly walked up the stairs to the dais. Lifting off his wolf mask, the blond hair of a 16-year old Arashi was seen. The kids looked up in amazement, not knowing what to think. The smile on his face was genuine…he was getting a kick of out of his instructor's reaction too. After removing the mask, he quickly turned towards Sandaime and bowed reverently.

"Stand, Yondaime-dono. I told you you're too polite."

With that, Sarutobi removed the ceremonial garments of the kage, and, walking behind Arashi, slowly and carefully clothed the ANBU warrior. "Your many accomplishments have earned you the honor of being the fourth Hokage, and I know you will continue to do great things."

The silence from the crowd ended as Sarutobi completed the vesting, and Yondaime Arashi turned to face them. The new genin began to clap first, and soon the entire amphitheatre was erupting in applause.

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Author's notes:  
Whew...that took a bit of writing. And a lot of time. And it didn't get quite as far as I would have liked, but heck it's already over 3000 words so I'm gonna cut it there. I'm sorry for the folks I left hanging for so long...I didn't get a chance to take the text file and make it into html for a good while. I apologize for any proofreading errors and what not...I'll probably fix those later this week.

Anyway, a bit of warning...chapter 3 is probably going to be the hardest chapter to write for me...I'm intending to do the training of Kakashi here, as well as develop a bit of romance (the one thing I've never tried writing). I've got the majority of this fanfic at least partially planned out, and the fight scenes will be cool! cough It's the love stuff that'll take me forever...so just be patient with me...pwease?

**Special thanks:**

Thank you very much to Anikat, SLynnH, Udon, and Anime-freak2k2 for taking the time to review this. Encouragement is a great thing, especially when I'm sitting there wondering if the piece of crap chapter I have before me is worth the time it might take to revise it. Your reviews were a big motivation toward making me rewrite the disaster area. Thanks!

In response to SlynnH: You got the wrong idea from me completely. I certainly like the story, and I would have completed it anyway. It just might not have ended up on this site if no one enjoyed it. I've got a ton of stories I work on (a few of them original as opposed to fanfic), and it might have been tossed on the backburner, but I would have eventually finished it as I'm just too much of a fan of this series to not write something like this.

I'm intending this story to be a good intro into the series, so I'm trying to avoid blatant spoilers too...although I think there's one that just can't be avoided at this point. Well...it's not exactly a spoiler since they haven't out and said it in the series yet...but I think 90% of manga-readers have the same idea I do. To those who watch the anime and aren't paying close attention, sorry for the things I'm gonna point out later...

I'd also like to thank my beta-reader, who will be politely known as Sabio wink. It's very cool to have someone who's worked for a newspaper look over your stuff and whip out the handbook on you (because you suck :P). It's also cool to be encouraged by a non-fan of the series to keep writing because they want to know where this leads. I actually didn't intend it to be a full intro into the series for you, but who knows...by the time I'm done you may be as addicted to Naruto as...well...everyone else :P.

I'll shut up now. Please R&R!

**NOTE : New on 5-23-04 : Thanks to hattuteline for pointing out an error in my statistics...I knew very little about IQ tests when I wrote this. **


	3. Chapter 3: An Intelligent New Teacher

Disclaimer : Don't blame my beta reader for anything you see wrong with this chapter....I put it up because I proofread it 8 times as I typed more stuff, and I didn't think it needed beta'ing. Ok...carry on!

**_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation_**

**Chapter 3: An Intelligent New Teacher**

Though people knew _of_ Kazama Arashi, very few actually _knew_ him. And for good reason, too. He had advanced in class far quicker than the other students at the academy, and at the ripe age of 9, he made genin. Probably would have been faster than that, if the young man hadn't waited to graduate with his only real friend, Uzumaki Narashima. They had hoped to get on the same team together at some point, but that all changed quickly once the child prodigy finally became a genin.

A young Jiraiya had chosen Arashi to be his project…and as such the young boy was on Jiraiya's select team of genin. Who knows, Arashi might even become his apprentice in the art of ninjutsu. As a result, the young boy never got the opportunity to be on a normal genin team at all. His team was one of the best…even given the occasional b-rank mission…many of which would take months.

Yet every time he returned, things were just a bit different. The genin he grew up with had changed…heck…HE had changed. But it seemed like things just got a bit weirder every time he came back. Finally, when he turned 12, he became a chuunin…right around the same time most of the kids his age were graduating from the academy and becoming genin. This put an end to the super team of genin, and it also pulled him a bit away from Jiraiya's leadership. Even though Jiraiya would still pull the boy aside for months at a time, Arashi's mission work as a chuunin put him into a situation where he knew few of those he was expected to lead, and had no one to really depend on. He didn't feel ready for what he'd gotten himself into.

That was when he lucked out and saw her again. Nara-chan had apparently also made chuunin. The majority of his free time was spent with her, or with Jiraiya whenever their time coincided. They got really close again…and then Jiraiya took him out into the wilderness once more.

He returned again a year later, stronger, faster, and taller. No longer was he the small boy who had capability, but whom no elder genin would ever respect. Now, his frame commanded authority…even Nara looked at him differently for a while. But deep down, he didn't feel any different. He still felt unworthy of his office, and therefore strove hard in training himself so that some day he would be worthy.

By the time he felt worthy of chuunin, he and Nara (coincidentally) both proved worthy of Jounin. In a time when every Jounin didn't command a team of genin, however, it was decided that he shouldn't lead a team -- considering he had never been on one of this fashion himself. Instead, he was brought into the ANBU, and quickly became the type of ninja they delighted in. Once again, however, this stopped him from being seen by many, as the ANBU were the unseen ninjas of Konohagakure.

So the only ones who truly knew Arashi as a capable ninja were those who had worked with him personally in ANBU; those genin who had worked with him as a chuunin had a slight clue. Yet the vast majority of the ninja of Konoha knew this man by name…not by face. The happy blue eyes and smile that came from this one…many thought that it could not have come from the person they had heard so much about.

Arashi wasn't thickheaded enough to not recognize the problem, however.

Arashi yawned lightly as he began his walk. _Up since 6, and there's still much to do…still, if it helps us stay strong, I'm more than willing to do it._ He'd spent most of the morning dealing with the newly assigned Jounin instructors and the academy chuunin teachers; locking in the team assignments and making sure each of the Jounin had a fair test had taken more time than he expected. _At least the hard part is done._

-----------------Flashback:Earlier that day---------------  
The mighty Hokage walked to the front of the group, and stood in front of his seat. Taking a look around at the bunch, he smiled lightly when he noticed Nara in the crowd. She had a curious look on her face, but he quickly turned his eyes away, keeping his eyes moving from person to person.

"Ahh the chuunin and Jounin warriors of Konohagakure…it's my pleasure to have you all in my company. Such a strong group of ninja…anyway, I've called you here partially to apologize, and partially to make things better. I recognize the looks on some faces I see right now. I have been hidden for quite some time, so many of you do not know me. And how can you trust someone you do not know with such an office?"

He noticed a few of the Jounin shift noticeably in their seats and knew he had hit a soft spot. Figuring there was no point in dragging things on, he continued. "You guys are the real strength of Konoha…and if there's a problem with communication between you and me, it's only going to be more trouble for everyone…and believe me, I don't want that any more than you do." Arashi lightly took a seat, not missing a beat in his speech. "So…what I'd like to do is get some time with you all. I want you guys to feel confident in me…to at least know something more about me than what you see on paper."

He paused for a moment, considering the best way to get to know people. "What comes to mind for me is food. Yes…I'd really appreciate it if I could meet with maybe 4 or 5 of you a day for lunch. Feel free to ask whatever you please of me…I don't want to hold anything back from you guys." He hadn't even noticed himself smiling, but he did notice as the looks of the faces staring back at him seemed to warm slightly. "So…who's up for lunch later today?"

---------------------------------------------------------------- 

Arashi sighed. It was 11:00 AM and he'd already been up for 5 hours. But the fun part of the day would begin soon. Right about now, the new genin were being informed of their team assignments, and around 1 they would actually meet the Jounin instructor for their team. Arashi was certainly looking forward to it.

After all, he would be only the second Hokage to ever lead a team of genin. All the others before him--with the exception of Sarutobi--had chosen one student to raise. Sarutobi, of course, had his "San Nin", the mighty group of three that had proven to be among the greatest ninja ever. _Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya-sensei. One can only hope that my group can be half as strong as they are._

Looking around at the 3 Jounin (and 1 chuunin) walking to Nosodachi sushi restaurant with him, he noticed he'd gotten ahead of himself. _First thing's first. Food, and getting to know the rank and file._

---------- 

An hour or so later, the laughter could be heard down the halls of Konohagakure academy as 5 high-ranking ninja joked their way down the hall. As they reached an intersection of two hallways, the blond-haired young man leading the way turned around to all of them and smiled. "Thank you very much, all of you, for an enjoyable lunch. I can only hope the others go this well."

One of the other ninja--in fact, the only chuunin of the bunch--replied to him. "The pleasure's been all ours…you're not hard to talk to, and you're a lot stronger than you let on." She winked to him cutely.

The blond Hokage smiled back to her. A kunoichi chuunin…and the youngest of all the chuunin at that. "Thank you very much, Anko; I appreciate it. Now, I have to go introduce myself to the students." He bowed quickly to them, then turned left and walked down the hall. Behind him, he could hear one of the Jounin mumble, "A kage's work is never done…"

Arashi made some quick decisions. _If I'm going to get through to these kids, I'm going to have to be tougher than I normally make myself appear. Might even have to curse a bit. But, I have to get through to them now…before they make a decision about me, or about what they trust me with. Especially the little runt._

Arashi reached for the door, but hesitated. What did he feel just now? Something within him registered an intention to kill on the other side of that door. Everything seemed to go in slow motion from there. Cautiously, he grabbed the handle once again, and slid the door open. His ears quickly adjusted to the sounds of the room, but one in particular caught his ear.

"…po…"

_What was that?_ Arashi's eyes quickly focused on the young boy standing in the middle of the room. Dressed in all black, a specially designed shirt covered the lower half of the boy's face…and his silver hair was momentarily shielding his eyes from view. _Kakashi. What's he doing?_ Arashi's eyes darted quickly to the boy's hands, noticing they were twisted into a fire in.

"Katon…"

_Fire? He's using a jutsu?_ He noticed quickly as the boy switched seals, sliding his right hand down to be even with his left and extending his two index fingers into the air.

"Karyuu…"

_Ack! The FIRE DRAGON!? He can't be about to use that jutsu! It shouldn't be physically possible…bionic kid or not he can't have that much chakra! _Almost as a reflex, Arashi raised his arms in front of him, crossing them and extending his hands out. As if life itself depended on it, Arashi rattled off 3 quick seals-different ones with each hand.

"ENDAN!"

Arashi watched, feeling everything move in even slower motion as the kid began to jerk his head back, taking as deep a breath as he could. The _kage_ unfolded his arms, moving his hands clockwise about each other, and--to the trained eye--seemingly releasing some type of blue field through his fingers…

With his eyes focused wholly on the Hatake boy, Arashi prepared to announce his move, but decided to wait, a smug smile crossing his face. The gray-haired runt jerked his head down violently and exhaled with force. Arashi watched carefully and smirked as Kakashi's hair tossed over his head…the only thing in the room that moved. As the room grew silent, Arashi decided to be the lead.

"Do you enjoy giving your instructor a heart attack?"

Kakashi looked up at the man, and returned a look. I can't tell whether that's a smile or not, Arashi thought.

At that moment, the jutsu Arashi had been preparing decided to reveal itself, as a gigantic wall of ice suddenly materialized in front of the kage's hands. Feeling like a fool, Arashi sighed and announced his attack. "Ninpo. Hyouheki."

(A/N: Hyouheki = ice wall :P Sounds a lot cooler in Japanese, eh?)

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and replied to the instructor. "Do YOU like overreacting to a student's joke?" The young boy was feeling quite complacent with his mock attack when suddenly, a massive chunk of ice flew over his head. He could see his instructor's fist clearly through a huge hole in the middle of the ice wall…

As Arashi bashed the wall down, he finally took a look at the other two students. One of them, he noticed, seemed to be holding in laughter. The other was quietly playing with her fingers. Arashi couldn't help but get slightly annoyed. "Well…how can I say…my first impression of you is…"

He grasped his chin, lightly fingering at the stubble as he noticed the looks of interest on their faces at his comment. Time to communicate something right then and there. "I hate you all." He smiled internally as he noticed the depression on their faces.

Arashi took a walk over to the chalkboard and began writing his name. "My name is Arashi. I might be your Jounin instructor." The man took a look, and noticed that no one raised an eyebrow at what he'd just said. Kakashi wasn't even looking his way, and the others seemed to be looking behind him. Arashi turned around and stared at his name for a moment, then turned back to them. "Is there…something majorly interesting about my name?"

The girl pointed at him and spoke first. "Arashi…YOU! You're the one from yesterday!"

The black-haired boy looked at him closely. "You mean the new Hokage?"

Arashi smiled. "So you remember…"

The kids reacted quite differently…the young girl bowed to him and yelled "Hokage-sama!" as the young black-haired one just stared. Kakashi blinked. _You mean I just faked out the Hokage with a deep breath? Heh…jittery isn't he?_

Arashi took it all in stride, waving off the young 12-year-old girl who was so intent on paying him homage. "No need for that…I told you I'm still Arashi here…not Hokage-anything. Anyway…yes, I am the new Hokage…16 years of age. My strength is in my chakra control and power…and in my determination to never let things go until there's no other choice. I chose to become a ninja mainly because it was the best way to defend my country in a time of war. Now that I've volunteered all this info, you guys have to tell me a bit about yourself."

Kakashi turned and faced the man who had-just a moment ago-been nothing more than a nuisance in the young boy's mind. _No wonder he was able to pull up an ice wall in a place with so little water…he's the Hokage._ Kakashi frowned momentarily, then began to speak. "I am Hatake Kakashi…obviously genin, age 5. I have no intention of telling anyone my strengths or weaknesses. As for why I chose to be a ninja…"

Arashi heard the boy stall off, and tried to encourage him. "What about your fears, Kakashi?" The boy returned a blank stare. _Heh…this kid will make a good Jounin…he gives no information in word or response._ Arashi turned to the girl of the bunch, and nodded.

Arashi took a good look at her. Her purple gi, had a light brown belt tied around it, and a purple shirt beneath it. The brown-haired girl started to blush, but then she opened her mouth finally and spoke. "I am a kunoichi genin, age 12. My strength is in weapons and taijutsu mainly. I became a ninja because I want to make a difference in Konoha…I want to be a great kunoichi, and the first female Hokage! But I'm…blush kinda afraid of bugs. But not REALLY afraid…just a bit of spiders and slimy stuff."

Arashi sweatdropped and sighed. _Great…a taijutsu chick who wants to be Hokage…and who's afraid of the Aburame clan. And a 5-year-old genius brat. Interesting team I have here. _"Rriiighhht…you didn't say your name…"

"Oh! I'm sorry! I'm Akaide Kaira."

_Two down._ Arashi turned to the sloppy, black-haired boy wearing a full-body brown coat that was a size too big. "And you are…"

The young kid looked up, passing a hand through his hair, and looking up to the Hokage. Goggles were lodged carefully in his hair, and the piece of straw he had in his teeth was really starting to grate on Arashi's nerves. _This kid seems quite cocky…WAY cocky. Especially to say I don't know him off-hand._

"The name's Obito. I'm a ninja because my family is all ninja…not much choice in the matter. Anyway, I know I'll be good…our family has its techniques…and once I get them it's all over."

Arashi looked the guy over. _Hmmm…if Kakashi is the #1 rookie…and the girl is average…then that means this guy is…why is he so cocky?_ Suddenly, he realized the magnitude of what the kid had said. "I'd assume you're an Uchiha then." The boy nodded, a knowing smile on his face. _Darn it…does he think just having Sharingan means he can be dead-last and work his way up with ease? Baka…these are the type of people Jiraiya trained me to kill._

Kakashi interrupted Arashi's train of thought, noting the man's words from earlier. "You said you MIGHT be our instructor…"

Arashi smiled, his eyes giving a foreboding look of upcoming danger to the small children. "Ah yes…so someone did catch that little comment." He waited as the others seemed to be lost in thought for a moment; maybe they were trying to remember if that was what he had said. Interrupting their train of thought, he pounded his hand on the table in excitement. "YES…you all have the opportunity to be trained directly by the 4th Hokage."

Kakashi continued to pry. "And…there's something we have to do before we earn that I'd assume…"

Arashi chuckled. _Funny…that the five year old is talking more than the twelve year old and ten year old combined._ "Yes. There is one more element to the training for a genin that we don't tell you about…survival training."

Obito chuckled at the term. "Survival training? We've had survival training…living in the forest and what not…are you mocking the academy or something?"

Arashi laughed loudly, startling all of the genin runts. "You think I'm talking about surviving a forest?" He broke into laughter again, unnerving all of them with his best chiding laugh. Eventually, he shook his head and stopped his laughter. "No no no…this isn't about surviving the forest. It's about surviving ME." He leaned over the desk intently, looking each one of them in the eyes. He could see the doubt in the girl's…the boys he wasn't quite certain about.

"Here's the deal folks…you pass my training, and you are my genin warriors…until you're old and wise enough to order other folks around." He saw a smile cross Obito's face. "But if you don't, I'm sending each and every one of your asses right back to the academy."

The girl nearly went into shock…and the boys certainly didn't look happy either. "You might have passed the academy, but that doesn't prove much. Anyone can pass the academy with enough time…this is the test that will decide whether or not you're ready to really be ninja." Arashi smirked. "And don't think that the Hokage's going to give you the advantage either…if anything you will have the hardest test of all the genin this year." Again, the girl grimaced slightly…Arashi began to suspect she wasn't too confident in her team.

Kakashi looked intently at Arashi, passively speaking as if he were saying something irrelevant. "What if we don't want you?"

Arashi burst into laughter. "If you don't want me, AFTER you pass my test, then so be it I'll see about sending you somewhere else. If you fail my test, you have no say in anything. But then, that went without saying." He took a step towards the 5-year-old. "You might not want to look too far ahead…I'll simply say I'm not the Hokage for nothing."

Obito chuckled and joined in the chiding. "We'll be the judge of that."

Watching in the corner of his eye, Arashi noticed that the girl had balled a fist. With a smile, Arashi licked his lips and spoke again. "I have to say my second impression of you is slightly better than my first one. But the third impression won't come until after the test, and that's the one that matters." Grabbing a piece of chalk, he wrote some more on the board. "Our training will begin bright and early in the morning…be at the bridge to the city at 6:00 sharp. If I'm there and the rays of the sun hit my eyes before you show up, you FAIL."

Obito raised an eyebrow at the man's harshness, but got a harsher response. "Shut up. I don't want to hear anything about how early that is. If you're going to be a ninja, you're going to have night missions that require cover of darkness. If you wait until the sun rises to start those, you are going to fail." He looked dead at Obito, who seemed ready to snap back at him. "Suck it up, or go home." Obito bit his tongue and looked away.

"You might have heard from some that the 3rd Hokage was nice to his students. I don't expect to hear the same thing about myself…but my students will be the best they can be and everyone will recognize them. IF I recognize them." The Yondaime looked at them one more time. "If there are no questions, I'll see you all tomorrow." As the others made their move for the door, Kaira looked at him for a moment, then turned to go.

"Oh hey! One more thing." He waited as the others turned to look at him, then he turned and started erasing the board. "Don't eat breakfast. If you succeed, I'll buy dinner. But if you eat breakfast, I guarantee you'll throw up." Hearing them swallowing and gulping, he smirked. "Now go…enjoy your last sunset."

* * *

"Stupid boys…where could they be?" 

Akaide Kaira yawned. Her stomach growled. Her frustration with the current events was beginning to rise. Here she'd been for a whole hour, waiting on the rest of her team…AND her instructor. Admittingly, that was partially her fault for being half an hour early. But still…after his bold words earlier, she didn't take him to be the type to be late…

**"They're taking too long."**

She gasped suddenly, hearing the voice behind her. Turning around and looking up, she noticed her instructor slowly sit up from his "seat" on the gate of the bridge. _So he had been here all along…_

Sighing, the Hokage leaped off of the gate, and landed on the bridge. "I had expected this type of tardiness from Obito…yet Kakashi as well?" Kaira looked at him in amazement, feeling quite awkward after realizing he'd probably been around for the past hour, listening to her talk to herself. Arashi, meanwhile, took a look to the east, noting the purple color of the sky in that area.

"Idiots…they don't know what they're getting into…" Arashi sighed again, a half-yawn leaking out of him as he silently stared out into the horizon. He lightly took a seat on the bridge, across from her. "and they're only hurting themselves…and you. I'm sorry you got stuck with them."

Kaira blinked, noticing he wasn't being as blatantly mean as before. "Arashi-sensei…why are you being…"

Arashi chuckled, and looked back to her. "Nice?" He noticed as she blinked, then sat there as if he'd plucked a close-enough word from her mouth. Stretching his arms above his head, he replied. "It's too early in the morning for me to worry about being tough. Besides, you don't need to see me like that as much as your teammates do."

Kaira looked away in thought for a moment, somewhat confused by what he meant. Arashi noticed and continued. "You listen to what your instructors say…they only seem to listen to how it's said." Arashi rose and walked, taking a seat next to her. "But enough about them. I'm curious about you."

Kaira blushed slightly, then looked up to him. "What about me?"

"You said you were good in taijutsu. What exactly did you mean by that?"

Kaira was somewhat surprised by his question. "Ummm…"

Arashi cut in. "Sorry…let me make clear what I meant. Some folks say they are good in taijutsu because they are…and some claim taijutsu because they know they aren't good in the others."

Kaira nodded, then thought for a moment. "Well…I'm not good at genjutsu, and I'm nothing special with the ninjutsu techniques…"

Arashi nodded.

"But…my father specializes in weapon training and taijutsu…so I claim that as my specialty."

Arashi raised an eyebrow. "So…you claim that because you want it to be, or because you're legitimately good in it?"

She looked for a moment, then looked back at him. Her eyes twinkled--an unexpected brightness and confidence showing within them. "I guess we'll both find out soon enough."

It was in looking into her eyes that he finally noticed the resemblance. _That look…focused and confident. Yes…she's Akaide Mouko's child. It's fortunate that I practiced yesterday Still, she holds a bit of doubt..._ He smirked back to her. "Yes…I suppose we shall."(A/N : Akaide Mouko : Fierce red tiger)

Arashi looked over to the horizon again, noting the colors fading more towards orange. "I suppose it's time. Forgive me now for what I must do…"

Kaira was just beginning to get comfortable around Arashi…and then all of a sudden a switch flipped and he was gone. "Eh?!" She double-taked and then turned, searching for him. As suddenly as he had disappeared, he reappeared with a yell, throwing two small boys as though they were baseballs. Seemed the tough guy was back.

The two kids flew through the air screaming, and landed headfirst in front of Kaira on the bridge. She quickly stood up and backed away, half-confused and half-amazed by what she had seen. Meanwhile, Arashi leaped back up to the gate on the top of the bridge and stood there, looking down at the two boys in anger.

"You two…I'm ashamed. You dare to waste my…and your teammate's time?"

Both Obito and Kakashi had begun to rub their heads, and at the sound of his voice, they turned around to face the gate. Of course, Arashi noticed the small smirk on their mouths as they thought they had fooled him again.

"What are you so smug for? I saw when you both showed up. Obito got here at 5:45…and Kakashi showed up _already late_ at 6:15." He saw the look on their face change a bit. "I only let you guys hide for that long because I wanted to see just how STUPID you could possibly be. I especially wasn't expecting Kakashi to do something like this…" He pointed over to the orange sky, directly toward the three glints of morning light. "Had I not gone out there and grabbed you idiots, do you realize you would have failed?"

Kakashi muttered something… "_I_ would have made it." Arashi could feel the urge to kill the young boy rising…

"That's beside the point, because Obito would not have…and then you ALL fail." Arashi dug in his pocket, and pulled out a set of flags. "Like I said earlier to Kaira, the only one you hurt was your team." Kaira looked up to the man, noting the look of intense anger on his face.

"Let me make this clear. I do not like wasting my time. **You will _never_ be late again.** If either of you _**ever**_ do anything like this again-either to me or any of the other Jounin instructors-until the point where you **_become_** an instructor…" Kaira noticed that he seemingly was boiling with anger…his fists were balled, and his arms were twitching.

"…I will _personally_ **kill you.** Have I made myself clear?"

Both of the boys nodded their affirmation (Obito a lot more fearful than Kakashi, however). As they nodded, Arashi clenched his fist, then tossed the flags down toward them…but not quite to them…

The trio looked in confusion as the flags fell into the water beneath the bridge, and Arashi made no attempt to recover them. Eventually, they turned their attention back to the man on the gate.

"Before you bothered to make me so mad, we were going to have a match of Capture the Flag…under cover of night…as your test." Both of the boys went wide-eyed, imagining for the moment just how cool that could have been. "Of all the tests I came up with, this one was most to your advantage…it's particularly hard for me to play both offense and defense alone. But…night is over, so we'll have to do something else."

Kaira turned and gave both boys a menacing glare…

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Coulda been longer, but I'll stop it before this thing gets rediculous. I'm over 5000 words for crying out loud.

This chapter is a big bunch of stuff...I apologize to those who are waiting for things to pick up...you won't have to wait much longer...but I gotta take some time developing the persona of folks, or else the cool action stuff won't be nearly as cool, ne?

I'll take this opportunity to plug another fanfic I'm starting...there is going to be a spin-off fic to develop the character of Nara a bit more...and to develop the romantic part of this story. With the way I've got this thing planned, it just doesn't fit into this one too well. I don't want to have a TON of chapters focusing on Arashi's first week as Hokage. So I'm going to take Nara's stuff and pull it aside to fix the issue...this one will dwell on Arashi, his team, and the big storyline of the things happening in and around Konoha.

With any luck, I'll have the first chapter of the new fic up tonight....a good chunk of it will fit into the day directly before the genin test shown above...during Arashi's training. Now then...a review response...

Naruto and Kakashi: Sorry for the confusion, although it was engineered that way. (:P) I wanted you guys to realize who he was just as everyone in the story caught on. Looks like it may have served its affect. Anyway, as to how I chose the name...I've read a few other fics and those who give the yondaime a name had often gone with Uzumaki Arashi (it means spiraling storm...like a cyclone...and it is a rediculously cool name that would definitely fit a ninja like him). I like the name Arashi...it flows off the tongue really well. But as far as the Uzumaki part...let's just say I don't think it would be easy for anyone to keep a secret about Naruto if his last name was the same as the 4th Hokage's. I'd figure the 4th's name would be common knowledge...and that would make you wonder why none of the kids ever thought about it. So I spawned off the name Kazama (which I had actually meant to be Kazuma...typo), and let the special female be Uzumaki....Narashima (coiled and balanced). As it is now, Arashi's name means "fierce wind storm"...I don't think I'll bother changing it.


	4. Chapter 3 Part 2: A Hokage in Action

**_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation_**  
**Chapter 3-2: A Hokage in Action**

The rays of the morning sun glared brightly in his eyes, frustrating him heavily. Arashi had hoped that by now the mission he had prepared would have started long ago. Instead, he stood on top of a gate on a small bridge, watching the sun rise slowly from the horizon…and pondering what new test to create. Looking down at the 3 young genin candidates before him, he couldn't help but be a little perturbed. Two of them had, after all, just chosen to waste an hour or so of his time.

Arashi looked down at them, the frustration apparent on his face. In the past few days, he had tried his best to put on his angry face to keep the boys in line. Now, however, there was no need for an artificial mask...he felt the frustration himself. "Of all the tests I came up with, capture the flag by cover of darkness was the most to your advantage...but night is over now." He looked with surprise at the young girl of the group, Kaira, who turned to her two colleagues with a fiercely frightening look.

Obito looked to the girl staring him down, and immediately felt his stomach get queasy. _That look...it's like she's wanting me to **die**..._

Arashi leaped down from the gate and landed lightly on the bridge, his anger slowly being replaced with a thoughtful look. "Now then…what shall we do instead…" He pondered for a moment, then smiled lightly. "Perfect idea." With a smirk, he looked to the trio of young genin…the young, gray-haired Kakashi…the normally-cheerful Kaira…the playful Obito. "Give me your forehead protectors. **Now.**"

The look of surprise and confusion on their faces suggested he'd gotten their attention fully now. "Since you all are only _attempting_ to prove your worthiness for genin, it doesn't make sense for you to have these. Give them back." Slowly and reluctantly, each of them reached up, and took off their protectors--the only artifact they had that denoted that they were real shinobi and not just trainees. Arashi took each of theirs, taking a careful look into their eyes as he did. Obito seemed a bit annoyed (and voiced his annoyance loudly), but Kakashi and Kaira were angry enough to kill. _Good_, thought Arashi. _That's where I need all of them to be._

Deliberately slow, the young hokage took one of the forehead protectors--Kaira's, he would soon discover--and tied it tightly beneath his left knee. Without any response to Kaira's curious questions, he continued; Arashi tied Obito's protector around his right knee. With a smirk, he grabbed the last protector and wrapped it around his left arm. Kakashi looked up at Arashi curiously as the man spoke. "Your new mission…is to prove yourselves. In order to pass this test, you have to get the protectors back." Everyone's eyes immediately focused on their own protector, and Arashi smirked a bit. _Just as I thought. Let's see how much I can mess with their minds…_

Arashi reached behind his own head. "I'll even throw in an interesting bonus." Once the three youths turned their heads upward to the man, he proceeded to untie the knot in his own forehead protector. "There's 4 protectors you can get…I'm throwing my own in the mix." As he tied his protector around his right arm, he chuckled and continued. "But be warned…no one's **EVER** gotten this one before." Kakashi's annoyed expression from earlier slowly changed into a look of interest, then one of extreme focus and intensity. Arashi shot him a quick glance and noticed the boy's response to the challenge. _Quite amusing…as expected he's already got his heart set on that one._

As nonchalantly as he could, Arashi lightly stretched his arms above his head, yawning. As he stretched, he watched the looks on his students' faces get a bit more focused. After a moment, he looked to them once more. "If you guys pass, we'll go get some food together. Is everyone ready?" The nods of three small heads were the only sign of acknowledgement. "Fine then…this mission begins…NOW!"

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Much like the rest of her comrades, Kaira quickly bolted into the trees of the forest at Arashi's signal, moving as quickly as she could, and finding a place to hide. Deep within the branches, she checked her surroundings, getting a good view of the area. A moment later, she turned forward to see what her instructor was doing.

It took everything in her power to not yell in surprise when she saw Arashi…eyes closed (apparently he didn't want to see where they'd gone), and holding something in both his hands that she didn't quite recognize. She squinted a bit, and finally recognized it….

**_A sandwich?!!?_**

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Arashi took a moment to open up the foil paper around his breakfast…there was nothing like a well-seasoned chicken salad sandwich in the morning…and this would be no exception. While casually eating his food, he opened his eyes and took a look around._ The first test of a ninja's skills is in his ability to hide himself. I haven't spotted anyone yet…_Arashi smiled and took his time, silently eating in the middle of the field, listening carefully for any noise.

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Within the trees behind Arashi, a gray-haired boy kneeled silently and cautiously. _No way. There's got to be some trick to this. He wouldn't just take a lunch break right at the beginning…would he? _Kakashi shifted just a bit, locking himself into position immediately afterwards. _Gotta be a trap. I'm not going to chance it._

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Arashi belched. _Good. As expected, none of them were bold enough to try anything while I was eating._ Smiling, he spoke up, in no particular direction. "Too bad you guys didn't have any guts…I was too hungry to wait to put up a defense of any sort." Hearing a slight gasp not too far away, he smirked a bit more. _Well…that provoked a response out of someone…let's see what Nara's favorite skill will result in over here…_Arashi quickly extended his index and middle finger on either hand, crossing them…

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Kaira gasped lightly as she realized she might have missed her chance, then realized what she might have just done was more important. _Darn it…_Shutting her eyes, she let loose a silent prayer…_please…don't hear that…_

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_How cute…she thinks closing her eyes so she can't see herself means I won't see her? Hehe…let the games begin…_

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Kaira braced herself for an attack and, sensing no movement, hesitantly opened her eyes. Memory quickly urged her eyes to glance toward Arashi…or at least where he had been. _Where…I didn't sense any movement at all…but I haven't been attacked yet…_the young girl slowly rose to her feet. _Maybe he didn't hear me after all!_

"Kaira."

**_Behind!_** Shutting her eyes in terror, her reflexes took control of her body as she quickly turned and threw a full-force roundhouse kick with her left leg…and began to throw punches before her balance was completely set.

Luckily for her, her blind assault had caught Arashi off-guard. His arms folded at his waist, he was waiting for her to slowly turn-around…awaiting the fear-ridden look of suddenly realizing your instructor is faster than your ears. Instead, a fierce roundhouse kick was barreling towards him; he instinctively shrugged it off with his left arm, but the punches that came after caught him dead in his gut. He fought the urge to double over as the girl's leg hit the ground wrong and she lost her balance.

Not taking advantage of her lack of balance, he instead took a quick leap back to access the damage her gut punches had done. _Crap. I underestimated her._ He almost got lost in thought before noticing her left palm forcefully hit the ground and stop her fall, and watching her vault herself forward toward him…_the look on her face still says fear, but her body's saying fight…_

This Hokage would not be fooled twice. Quickly he dragged his right foot back and turned slightly sideways, anticipating the move a warrior acting on instinct would probably go for. As she charged in boldly, he raised his arms, preparing to catch her inevitable punch. _Sorry girl…I'll admit you've got guts…but you're a bit too straightforward..._

He was quite surprised when the girl's face turned with a smirk, and she leaned backwards in mid leap, gliding beneath his outstretched hands, and sliding directly between his legs. A little too slowly, Arashi realized what had just happened and prepared to roll to the side, but by that point the yell of an eminent attack could already be heard, as Kaira threw yet another fierce roundhouse, hitting her instructor directly on his right hip.

He stopped trying to recover as that foot hit him, but suddenly he realized it hadn't hit him the way he figured. _What is she doing?_ With a quick move, he turned around just in time to see…Kaira had used her right leg's kick to balance herself, pushing off of his hip and continuing her spin motion. Lifting into the air from there, she had performed a full rotation, and now her left foot was quickly angling itself for a blow from above. Arashi found that the girl had made quite an impression on him…as her foot landed on the top of his head, and his body disappeared in a massive explosion of smoke.

The force of the explosion was enough to send the light femme airborne once more, and she struggled in the air to gain her bearings…eventually landing on her feet with moderate control. Still, her body's backward momentum dragged her feet along the ground until a tree behind her stopped her movement. Immediately, she heard the sound of a voice behind her.

"Not bad. You have definitely been taught some interesting taijutsu. But your advantage is done."

Her eyes widened. _That voice…it's coming from the other side of the tree. Darn! You mean to tell me I did all that and it wasn't even really him?!_

Arashi cracked his knuckles. _Quite impressive for a girl who didn't seem to trust herself a while ago. But I won't underestimate you twice._ Had anyone seen the look on his face, they would have seen determination personified. **_Not even a little bit._**

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Obito looked onward from a particularly tall tree, slowly making his way down closer to the ground to be prepared for a quick attack if he saw an opening. He watched Kaira's face as the look of fear crossed her again. _She's pretty good, but no match for him like this…I can see it in her eyes. What the hell's she acting so afraid of?_ It was then that Arashi's yell of attack was heard. With freakish speed, what seemed to be a blade came out of nowhere, and an earthshaking impact was heard. A wide-eyed Kaira's facial expression froze in terror as the tree she had been hiding behind was hit by something….and broke. It seemed to happen in slow motion…the part of the tree base from right above her head on up tore away from the part she was resting on, and jetted into the air. Obito looked on in amazement, watching the massive piece of wood flip into the air…true the tree was only as thick as a normal man around, but that was no ordinary weapon there…

And then he saw it. The same look of fear momentarily crossed Obito's face…as he finally noticed that it was not a weapon that had done it. Kaira looked up in fear as she saw the forehead protector above her head…the one on the right elbow…of Arashi. The voice she had heard before returned once again, yet this time it sounded much more authoritative. "**It will take much more than taijutsu…to defeat me.**"

A moment later, the ground shook under the force of the tree hitting the ground. Obito felt the sweat drag down the side of his cheek. _What the…this guy is insane…_

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Kakashi sat in his tree silently, not budging in any way. _This guy…I guess he isn't the Hokage for nothing._

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Arashi let his extended arm dangle there for a few moments before retracting it to his side and turning towards the remainder of the destroyed tree. "Well, Kaira, you just going to sit there? Is that all you've got, 'cuz if so, you'd better quit."

Hearing a direct call out, Kaira regained control of her muscles. Arashi took a step back with his left foot just in time as she backflipped herself onto the top of the newly-created (and quite jagged) tree stump. Many kicks were thrown from that precarious position, and Arashi sighed as he dodged them. _Darn…that IS all she has._ She feinted a kick and quickly leapt forward, throwing an off-balance punch towards his face. Arashi quickly turned his left heel and turned to the side, darting his head away from her and letting her glide past. Yet just as he prepared to refocus his eyes on her, he heard a sound in the distance in front of him. Almost instantaneously, two kunai came flying towards his face. Another quick sidestep.

Another battle cry was heard and suddenly Obito came flying directly at Arashi, a look of intensity and a fully-cocked fist--clutching a kunai for all it was worth--declaring his intent. _You dare to come at me from the front? _Arashi's eyes widened when he saw how the boy was holding the kunai. _That's one time I could have killed you._ Arashi got ready to counter…

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Kakashi looked onward and noticed when Obito took off. _Hmm… so it's 2 on one…with those two…_

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Arashi quickly reached out with his left hand and grabbed the boy's weapon hand (his left). Squeezing his wrist tightly, he twisted and the boy's grip on the weapon was lost. With a turn to the side and a strong tilt of the hips, he tossed the boy over his shoulder, slamming him to the ground, yet quickly letting go of his hands for some reason.

Obito hit the ground with a gasp and quickly looked up, preparing himself to evade whatever Arashi would do while he was down there…but a glance at his sensei's face made him wonder if something unanticipated had happened.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Arashi smiled, looking onward at the kids…Kaira had recovered and was dashing in to attack once again, but the last couple of events had her quite surprised. Arashi looked onward towards where he once had been, standing over Obito's prone form, with six large shruiken sticking from his back. Kakashi had finally decided to attack…and was currently running in to follow up as the blood sprayed into the air. _Obito…that's twice I could have killed you…or let Kakashi do it._ With a sigh, Arashi began to gather his chakra. _That kid has no conscience…friend or foe…_

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Kakashi dashed in, making no effort to keep himself hidden considering he'd already whacked his target. _He finally showed an opening…the others did what I needed them to do to pass._ Suddenly, as he had entered the area, a puff of smoke occurred, and the mighty sensei he was attacking suddenly turned into a piece of the tree from earlier, and fell on its end right next to Obito's face.

Kakashi, too late to change his momentum, leaped over the piece of wood in frustration. Obito stared at the wood for a moment. _Kawarimi?_ Hearing another yell of intensity, Obito turned his head back up, just in time to see Kakashi clear his body…and just in time to see him go flying out of control _back the other way_. Turning his body away from the tree, he saw Kaira, palm outstretched and looking up at the airborne Kakashi...with a look of apology on her face. _Aww crap…now you've done it._

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Kaira, not paying enough attention at that moment, had caught Kakashi across the face in midair with a fierce open palm strike. Arashi ignored the urge to laugh, and instead focused on the more serious point of the issue as he began to form hand seals. _That was friendly fire…and a lot of it. That can't happen again._ Channeling his chakra into his hands, he quickly began the next jutsu…

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Kakashi didn't take the time to chastise Kaira once he landed. Even though she came to his side to check and make sure she didn't hurt him, he angrily tossed her to the ground and got back up to his feet. "Where is he?"

Obito searched around the area too. "Don't know…good time to use kawarimi there…" Kaira was slow to get up, but once she did, she could hear the voice as well as they could.

"Doton! Yama Kansei!" (A/N : Mountain trap) Suddenly, the ground around them quaked violently, tossing Kaira back to the ground, and causing Obito to stumble and struggle for balance.

"Crap!" Kakashi yelled, and attempted to get out of the area as quickly as he could, but it was too late. A dark circle of mud appeared around the three of them, and suddenly a giant circular wall of rock burst out of the ground…the titanic wall had to reach 30 feet into the air at least. "Darn it…"

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Arashi smiled, lightly pulling his hands out of the ground. _That aught to keep them busy for a while…and let them discuss the friendly fire a bit perhaps too. Hopefully they'll realize the premise behind this training soon._

For the second time that day, he cracked his knuckles. _Needless to say when they DO get out again, I won't be able to pull the same tricks anymore. It's time for the real fun…_

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Obito jogged and grabbed a rock from the wall, taking a step on another and attempting to climb up. Yet he was having too much trouble keeping his footing… "These rocks are too darn slippery and jagged! What the heck are we supposed to do?"

Kaira spoke up for the first time in a while. "I think it's obvious…we're supposed to work as a team!" She paused for a moment, and turned to Kakashi. "Look…I'm sorry about earlier." She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

The young 5 year old paused for a moment, then turned back towards her with a curious look in his eye. Kaira blinked…she couldn't pin the look (what with not seeing the bottom half of his face), but she could feel the frustration coming from him. He made direct eye contact with her, his anger becoming more apparent as he spoke. "Stay out of my way."

Obito watched as both of them looked silently at each other, Kakashi stoicly staring, Kaira beginning to get flustered. Suddnely, Kaira took a step back and let go of him. _Geez…kid thinks he runs the show…_he slid his goggles back a bit further and smirked a bit. "Time to be a calm leader and show them who's boss." Little did he know he said that aloud, but only Kaira heard him. He raised his voice a bit further. "Guys calm down…nothing to fight over…"

By the time he finished that phrase, he felt a rock hit the back of his neck. "Eh?" Looking up, he was quite surprised to see a boy dressed in black, vaulting his body up the side of the circular wall by kicking off of it and up over and over again… (A/N : Think Mega Man X climbing walls by jumping from one wall to the other, gaining a bit each time) "HEY! Don't leave us!"

Kakashi ignored them both as he cleared the wall in 20 seconds flat, vaulting himself over its side and onto the ground and bending his right knee to lessen the impact. Slowly, he tilted his head up from staring at his feet and turned to face his instructor.

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Obito punched the wall in frustration. "Errr….I'll kill that kid! No respect for his team!" He unleashed his rage on the wall as Kaira watched. A sweatdrop rolled down the side of her face. _This is the kid who thinks he's going to lead us?_

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Arashi considered pulling out another sandwich, knowing that these 3 actually attempting to talk out their issues with one another might take a while. _Still…it's necessary if they're going to be effective._ He also knew there was another possibility of outcome, but he hoped that wouldn't happen. That, he figured, would probably mean they'd fail.

Suddenly, he heard a frustrated yell and the light impact of feet landing on grass. _Mmm? Someone made it over._ Arashi dropped down into his fighting stance and extended his right hand, inviting the warrior to attack, as he slowly lifted his eyes and faced off with the grey-haired kid.

With a sigh, he recognized him, and knew the outcome. "Well…it **would** be you, wouldn't it…" Kakashi just stared at him, his empty gaze revealing no emotion. One word was all he said.

"_**You…**_"

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

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So what do you think? I know some of you are probably thinking..."Why'd you make Kakashi such a buttmunch of a little kid?" Don't you think a 5 year old doing stuff 12 year olds do would be a bit cocky? I don't think he was just naturally so caring about friends and such...I suspect that came with time. As such, he is--for the moment--a cocky and lonely kid. The other part to being more advanced than your age group...is that you tend not to make friends at any age...your own age feels inferior to you and won't befriend you, and the ones you work with will act superior.

Chapter 3 is inevitably going to cross 10,000 words...no matter what I do it comes out way long. I mean...this fight must be cool, and I have every intention of doing what it takes to make it so. Even if that means I have to split it up so people will actually read it.

I want to apologize to and thank everyone who waited the couple of months or so it's taken for me to get back to this. I just had perhaps the worst semester of my life (considering it's my 3rd year in college that's a long time), and I had to focus the last few months on making sure it didn't become the LAST semester of my college career. Things came out well, however, and I'm working for the summer, so I'll have a lot more time to work on completing these stories.

Any reviews are welcome, but don't feel required to. I like this story enough that I won't threaten to stop or any crap like that. But if you do really like it, it would encourage me to know that!


	5. Chapter 3 Part 3: Strict

The standoff had begun.

Arashi stood, set into his fighting stance, and squaring off against a young 5-year-old…the young prodigy Hatake Kakashi.

It was obvious that Kakashi was more than a little bit peeved. Arashi decided to work that angle more. "You know…I meant to spread the circle of rocks out more than that…but I figured with your stumpy legs it might not matter." Arashi smirked. "Guess I was wrong." The Hokage loved messing with their minds a bit when he could, and he was glad when Kakashi's face flashed a bit of anger at him after the crude comment. He extended his right hand, reflecting a glint of sunlight off of the forehead protector on his elbow and into the young boy's eyes. "Well…enough fooling around. You came for this, right?"

Arashi carefully watched the boy's hands as he began to rattle off a few hand seals. After a moment, his eyebrow raised in slight confusion. _Eh? These hand seals are gibberish…these combinations don't exist…maybe he's thinking he can sneak some real moves past me during the chaos. _Arashi smirked and focused his eyes on the boy's hands further. _You won't get past my eyes kid…not unless you did something be--crap._

Arashi, luckily, was mentally quick. He turned just in time to see the foot coming from the side and attempting to hit him in the head. _He's a smart one…pulling a bunshin before coming over the wall…_with a light shrug to the side he made the foot miss, sliding off of his padded shoulders harmlessly instead. Before the kid could land and perhaps get a better assault planned, Arashi struck him in the gut with an open palm, sending him flying. At least, that's what he'd hoped to do, but his hand went straight through the boy, and the boy disappeared. _What? You mean that was the bunshin…_

Turning back towards the original boy, he saw the chain of handseals continuing. _So that's the real one!_

Kakashi yelled with force. "Katon! Karyuu Endan!" Arashi's eyes widened. _No way he's bluffing again…_

**_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation_  
Chapter 3, Part 3: Strict.**

Arashi spread his hands and prepared to perform a counter jutsu. Something in his mind, however, suspected something was wrong. _Kakashi should be quite familiar with my counter...he knows the ice wall will block the fire…wait. _Suddenly, his senses all relayed to his brain at once…_no…he made 2 bunshins…_indeed, the yell had come from a different direction than he was sensing chakra. Arashi quickly leaped into the air, and immediately a massive wave of flame passed beneath his legs. He felt the heat of the attack warm his feet…

Arashi looked down as the fireball passed and dispersed the energy of one of Kakashi's bunshins. Sweat began to form on his brow. _What a kid…to come up with a plan like that so quickly…and he's got enough chakra to actually perform Karyuu Endan._ Looking at the wave of flame and the tails of fire coming from the sides of it, he noticed it unravel and disperse into the air as it hit the bunshin.

Twisting his body in midair, Arashi landed and faced the direction the dragon had come from, and finally faced the _real_ Kakashi. The boy was doing his best not to show any emotion…or reveal how tired he was. Unfortunately, Arashi was a master of such things, and he most certainly noticed.

"It's too bad you don't have the ability to hold that attack together. That didn't look like a fire dragon…but it's at least a bit effective." Kakashi's breathing stopped for a moment as Arashi continued. "But if you had performed the full attack, you might have burnt my legs." Arashi smiled and reached down, pointing to his pant legs. "Unfortunately, your chakra wouldn't hold the attack long enough to do much to _me_…"

Kakashi couldn't help it. The frustration was apparent in his eyes. _My best attack…and he not only evaded it, but he picked it apart. So this is what a real ninja is like…incredible._ Suddenly, Arashi's words came back through his ears.

"Let alone laying a finger on the real me…"

_The real him? What? _Quickly, Kakashi rolled and turned around in mid-tuck, checking his rear. Where? As soon as he saw his rear was clear, he tilted his head back towards the clone he had attacked before, checking for movement. The fake Arashi stood still, watching the boy closely. Kakashi's eyes quickly scanned the area…the tree line…anything it could. Except one spot.

Directly above.

**"Ninpo! GATSUUGA!!!!**

Kakashi gasped as the yell reached his ears, and quickly looked up. About 20 feet above him, he saw Arashi dropping directly toward him, head first. The fourth hokage extended his right hand to his side and yelled, quickly tilting his body and working himself into a violently fast spin. As he quickly approached Kakashi, it seemed as if a mighty tornado was about to touchdown directly on the top of his head.

With reflexes he didn't know he had, Kakashi leaped to the side, just barely evading the attack, and looking in amazement as Arashi flew right past him, making no effort to miss the ground…

* * *

A foot hit what felt like the side of a mountain, full force…and the mountain didn't budge at all. It only took a moment for a yell of frustration to be heard. "Darn that little runt! Now I'm stuck in here…" 

Kaira sat silently, her legs crossed Indian-style, Obito's rant the only sound interrupting her silent gaze at the ground. And yet, his monologue meant little to her. _I did everything I could think of, and it wasn't enough. It wasn't even remotely enough. The girl balled her fists and pounded the ground. I'm not going to pass…after all this work it's hopeless. I'm still nowhere near him._

Slowly, she rose to her feet. _But…I can at least help my team. I just wish it didn't have to end this way for me._ She finally looked up at her teammate, who had begun trying to scale the wall on his own again. She frowned, noticing that he probably wouldn't make it. _Darn…I'm physically stronger than him. Well…if I can't take Arashi-sensei…maybe he can._

"Obito-kun!"

"Mmm?"

Obito turned at the sound of a voice near him. Turning around, he spotted Kaira. _Eh? Oh…I'd forgotten she was here…_she was leaning against the wall of rock…with her hands out and clasped together.

"You want some help?"

Obito blinked. Kaira smiled. Obito blinked. Kaira smiled. Obito began to look at her skeptically.

"Why would you help me?"

Kaira tried her best to keep smiling as he questioned her help. "Because at least one of us should get out of here. I might be able to make it up after you."

Obito searched her face for some sign of deception, and found none. Still, something inside made him question her motives. He slowly walked toward her, not really wanting to accept her help. "You know…I could get up the wall by myself."

Kaira recognized his words immediately. "I understand. But then you wouldn't have enough left to face Arashi." She flashed her confident smile to him. "_When_ I get over, I'll give what I have left to help."

Obito silently nodded, then smiled. "Well…here goes nothing…"

* * *

A massive explosion of dust and air forced Kakashi further away than he originally planned. Failing to control his landing, he fell back first onto the ground, dragging across the ground because of the force of Arashi's impact. The ground knocked him out of his amazed daze, however, and Kakashi quickly backflipped to his feet. 

As the dust cleared, Kakashi was even more amazed. _No wonder he didn't slow down…ground's no threat to him._ Where he had been standing, there was a giant crater…about 15 feet in diameter. The most amazing thing about it was that there was a hole in the middle…that he couldn't see the end of. Kakashi's eyes widened. _What kind of creature is this guy?_

Kakashi looked back towards the bunshin of Arashi that had been standing perfectly still for quite a while. It was still there. The bunshin noticed him looking, however, and turned and smiled to him. Then, it smirked and pointed down.

_Eh?_ Kakashi put two and two together too slowly. "SHOOT!"

"Too late!"

A hand shot out of the ground beneath him and grabbed his ankle tightly. "Time to introduce you to Konoha's secret anti-children technique…" Arashi smirked beneath the ground as Kakashi attempted to pull his foot loose. **"Doton! Shinjuuzanshu no Jutsu!!!!!!"

* * *

**

Kaira felt the ground shake, but she did her best to ignore it and focus on the task at hand. "Ready?"

Obito ran forward and leaped into the air toward her clasped hands. "Let's do it!"

As she felt his feet land in her hands, she bent her knees just a bit, and a low growl escaped her lips. A moment later, she yelled, putting all her might into one gust of strength…

* * *

Kakashi couldn't see anything. 

It had happened so fast, that he wasn't quite sure whether he had felt it right. _What the heck…he dragged me…_

"Oops. I seem to have forgotten that you're shorter than most…your head's still supposed to be above ground…"

Turning his eyes upward, he was able to see a small light above him. _Crap…I'm about a foot underground…and I can't move…_

Arashi smiled, talking down into the small hole in the ground that he left for Kakashi to breathe. "Maybe someday you'll get to do that to your students. But you'll never be my student at this rate…" Arashi slowly walked away from the hole.

He abruptly stopped when he heard a roar of pure intensity and power from within the rock wall. Arashi chuckled. "They should have named that girl Kairai…" Suddenly, A black-haired boy vaulted himself over the wall with a bit of effort. _So that's what she was yelling for…

* * *

_

Obito slowly pulled himself over the rock wall, and rolled over the side, righting himself in midair and landing on his feet. His breathing was heavy, and he was quite frustrated. _Man…I never would have made it over that thing without her boost._ She had gotten him halfway up the wall…his own grit had gotten him the rest of the way. Now came the real test.

Obito turned to look at his adversary, the mighty Arashi. "Where's Kakashi?"

Arashi smiled back to him. "He's six feet under."

Obito took a quite fearful step back. Arashi chuckled, then cleared his throat. "Actually, he's more like 2 feet under, but oh well." The man cracked his knuckles. "I take it you want a go at me too…"

* * *

_Darn darn darn…this is going to take a while._ Kakashi vibrated his body as much as he could, letting the dirt shift around him… 

-------

_One step at a time…_Kaira knew if she fell off of the wall again, she probably wouldn't be able to make it back up. _Just one step at a time…

* * *

_

Obito must have rolled about 5 feet, tumbling completely out of control and crumpling into a heap on the ground. Arashi slowly pulled back his extended foot, planting it back behind him. "Don't you know anything beyond frontal assaults, boy?" It had been going this way for quite a while now…Obito assaulting Arashi one-on-one from the front, and getting destroyed…

Obito struggled to his feet once more, his arms twitching as he pushed himself upright. _Is our strength difference…this much…_

Arashi frowned. _The boy's got good endurance…and strong will. But, he's obviously tried to get by on talent alone…with no work or thought put into the process. He's got potential…which makes me hate his attitude more._ "No matter how many times you do this, the result will be the same." Arashi quickly looked up to the wall and noticed Kaira's hands on the edge, attempting to lift herself over. _Poor girl…_

A moment later, he noticed that Kakashi was beginning to worm his way out of the hole. _Time to end this…I gotta put Obito out now._ Turning his head back towards Obito from watching Kakashi struggle, he wasn't overly surprised to find the boy's legs bent and tense, preparing to charge in again. _I better use a jutsu on him and finish this off._ Arashi began putting together the seals for a genjutsu before noticing that Obito was also preparing seals.

_Mmm? So he does know something beyond that._ Arashi watched silently as Obito's face contorted in concentration, and his chakra became momentarily visible. Suddenly, the aura seemed to be sucked within him; Arashi blinked, not even noticing he was thinking aloud. "No way…he didn't just do that, did he?"

* * *

Kakashi finally got his arms above ground, and quickly pulled the rest of his body up the surface. Without even taking time to dust himself off, he quickly dashed to the area where Obito and Arashi were fighting…

* * *

Arashi knew the boy was coming, but he had bigger problems. "That kid…he just used WAY too much chakra for any attack he'd know…" 

Obito's fingers finished in the ram in. "Katon! Gokyakuu no jutsu!!!"

Arashi blanched. _All that chakra for a grand fireball?!!? He knows overkill techniques? _ As Obito leaned in and aimed, Arashi took no chances, quite quickly doing kawarimi to escape the area. Obito continued the attack oblivious, but what became obvious to Arashi was that Obito HAD noticed Kakashi behind him. Luckily, Kakashi was skilled enough to dodge. Arashi took a moment to access the full situation while no one was watching him, and suddenly his eyes widened in shock. _What?! He's…CRAP!!!_ Arashi looked over to the wall in fear…

Kakashi charged in, soot still covering parts of his vision, but not enough to where he couldn't see the man he had to beat. Quickly, he decided that a leg protector would be enough. If he got that, then he'd go for the arm. Yet as he charged in, he felt the air suddenly change directions….right before he left his feet to attack Arashi-sensei, he saw the fireball coming his way.

Obito closed his eyes, not wanting to see the small boy get roasted to a crisp, but--after all the boy had done that day--not really too concerned about him. He continued his attack as if he hadn't seen him, intent on forcing Arashi to move in desperation at least once.

Kakashi aleartly leaped to the side, letting the fireball pass harmlessly by him and fly at the large rock wall. Yet in the confusion, no one saw what happened next…as a brown-haired girl leaped down from the side of the wall, just in time to end up in the path of a massive ball of flame…

---------------------------------- 

Someone pointed out to me earlier today that some of my sequences seemed to jump without warning...after re-reading I noticed that some of my horizontal lines had been somehow removed! That's fixed now, I think... 

PS if you didn't recognize it...."Doton Shinjuuzashu no jutsu" = Suicidal Beheading...the technique Kakashi uses on Sasuke in ep 5.

Also, there's a joke I forgot to translate! Arashi mentions that Kaira should have been named "Kairai"...kairai is a Japanese word that translates to "frontal thunderstorm".

Reviews are welcome, and hopefully I'll be getting up the next chapter soon.


	6. Chapter 3 Part 4: Merciful Master

"Katon! Gokyakuu no jutsu!"

It may have been another frontal attack, but Arashi recognized this one for what it was : infinitely more dangerous. _He's literally pouring chakra into this attack…he's developed overkill techniques…_

A good ninja knows when to show off and when to evade. Arashi quickly performed kawarimi and evaded what he anticipated would be an intense attack. _I can't take any chances with this…if Kakashi gets involved we could both get roasted. This way, I can at least be there to protect…if this gets out of hand…_

He watched with a careful eye as Kakashi twisted his body out of the way of the attack, wide-eyed in surprise that Obito would do such a thing…the flame went right through the center of Arashi's kawarimi, and the pile of dead leaves quickly turned to cinder and tossed into the sky. Arashi was quite impressed with the fact that the fireball continued on after impact…something Kakashi's attack had not done. The flames flew onward in their straight-lined assault toward the circle of rock Arashi had trapped the students in earlier. Yet, Arashi got only a moment of rest before realizing the true situation…_What?! HE's …CRAP!!!_

Kaira was dropping, too tired to evade as she dropped into the flame…

* * *

**_Yondaime : The Strength of a Nation_   
Chapter 3, Part 4 : Merciful Master

* * *

**

Kaira didn't have the strength left in her to do much more, even though her life could be on the line…_I guess this is it…_she watched in seemingly slow-motion as the fireball approached, the heat increasing by the moment…

Suddenly, her body was thrown into shadow as something blocked her vision…as her eyes struggled to adjust to the change in brightness, she noticed the red, spiraled insignia on the back of a green jacket…and his blond hair, before her eyes closed and she hit the ground, shoulder first.

Arashi had run right in front of her, and—with an intensely loud yell—smacked the fireball with all of his might.

* * *

When the smoke cleared, Obito surveyed the situation. There was a fairly large burnt area where his master had been, complete with a burning stump. _Darn._ At the same time, he noticed Kakashi on the edge of the destruction; his front hair seemed a bit singed., and his body was still sparsely covered in dirt. 

Obito chuckled a bit. _He got what he deserved!_ Obito laughed in the face of his fallen partner, and Kakashi bit his lip trying to stop himself from tearing the boy limb from limb.

Then Obito's eyes turned and noticed the two others in the background. Squinting, he noticed Kaira half-dead and leaning against the wall of rock…and his instructor. _Mmm?_ Arashi's knees were bent, and his stance was stressed, and his right arm was extended fully to the side of his body…fingers twitching. The look in the man's eyes was quite intense…Obito took a more focused look, and noticed that the man's fingers were…singed…and blackened…

Kakashi turned slowly around, and soon noticed the same thing. "What did he do? Backhand the fireball?!" Both boys looked at each other in amazement, before turning back towards the scene before them.

Arashi took a moment, attempting to regain his composure. After a moment of this, he felt the old familiar annoyance come back. His brain was screaming "PAIN" at him for the injuries in his hand…both for the burns he had suffered batting the fireball away, and for the large (yet apparently slightly insufficient) amount of chakra he had channeled to his hand to avoid getting burned. He felt Kaira cling to his leg as she struggled to get up to her feet. Finally remembering to breathe, Arashi took a look at the two boys before him, and made his final decision. The edge on his voice was undeniable, and deserved. "Enough of this. This training is over."

The two of them looked oddly at him. "What was that? Why is the training over? It's not time yet!"

Arashi controlled his temper as much as he could. "When you two start acting like childish _fools_, it's automatically time! I'm not going to have anyone _getting killed_ by friendly fire just because a kid gets too cocky." He turned around slightly and looked towards Kaira. "Do you realize you nearly _killed_ her? I'm ashamed of you two. You all fail."

Obito frowned. The idea of Kaira almost dying hadn't hit him fully yet, but it still didn't hit him nearly as hard as the idea that he couldn't manage to do anything against Arashi. The boy took his goggles off and looked down in frustration. "You were too good for us."

Arashi grit his teeth at those words. "So when you meet a strong person in your missions, are you going to freeze at their feet and give them an easy kill?! Do you forget the fundamentals of the shinobi code when a powerful enemy shows up?!" He fought within himself to hold onto that one part of his mind that wasn't angry. Yet, as he looked at his team, he noted how each of them had confusion and guilt on their faces. _They still don't get it…_ "Enough of this…"

* * *

A few moments later, the four of them were sitting on the bridge where it all had begun. Arashi leaped back up onto his commanding post on the gate. "You all said that I was too much for you. Well take these words to heart. A shinobi must recognize that sometimes no matter how hard he tries and trains, what he does may never be enough." 

Kaira's eyes widened in shock at his words. _How can he say something like that?_ "So…should we just _give up_?" Her response had quite a bit of anger in it.

"Be quiet." Arashi turned and looked her directly in her eyes. "Even you don't know what I mean, so just shut up and listen." Not even waiting for a response from the girl, he turned back towards the boys. "A shinobi must recognize that…but he must also recognize that it's not about if he's good enough. It's about if the _team_ is."

At that point, they all realized exactly what this test was meant to discover. "And none of you three even recognized that you had a team. If the three of you had acted together, you'd have had a chance."

Arashi turned his back to them, looking toward Konoha as he continued. "If this had been an actual mission, you three would have risked your own lives and the lives of your teammates only to fail…to never even have hope of succeeding. And the only reason is because no one was truly willing to work with the others the way they needed.

"Kaira…it was good of you to help Obito over the wall, but in truth, you were needed on the battlefield with the both of them…but all you ever did, you did aggressively and you did alone."

"Obito…you wanted to get to Kakashi for some reason, yet at the same time, you never really dealt with Kaira. Had you helped her, the end may have come up different. And then, you weren't even _trying_ to watch for Kakashi just now…you were willing to burn him to get to me."

"And you, Kakashi, you ditched your entire team as soon as you could. Your actions would have caused the rest of your team's death."

Arashi watched as the team silently looked down, dejected. "By halfway through this test, you should have realized you couldn't take me alone, and that you needed each other. The fact that you didn't means you don't know yourself…and you don't know your teammates. You might be 5…12 years old, but this isn't a game at all."

The kids remained silent and focused on the ground, knowing that he spoke the truth. Arashi considered everything for a moment, and made a judgment call. "These tests, unfortunately, are final. There is no appealing the results, and no one has ever changed their mind. However, considering you have shown that you each have considerable abilities for your age…I shall give you a second chance."

As they began to look up once more, surprise in their eyes, Arashi continued. "Know this…it's a well-known fact that no ninja has _ever_ been given a second chance in these exams. This is unprecedented, but I'm the Hokage…so I will allow it this once." The beginnings of smiles began to show on their faces…Arashi bent his body lower and made eye contact with them all, his face only a foot away from their own. "I went easy on you before…don't expect that to happen again now that I've given you the key to this test. We will continue the training after lunch."

About an hour (and 3 chicken salad sandwiches for Arashi) later, things finally started to seem normal again. Arashi sat silently, examining the damage on his hand, and formulating a game plan for what – he was certain—would be much more fun than last time.

(A/N : I was writing this with "Survival Exam" from the soundtrack on in the background…)

Not too long later, the stage was set. Arashi got into his battle stance, lightly bending his knees and dropping into a horse stance. The three kids had hidden themselves in the bushes and trees of the area. Arashi closed his eyes, letting his other senses attempt to pick them up.

Within a few seconds, he heard the light movement of a twig against brush…as if the twig had not been quite stepped on, but rather kicked to the side. _Kaira. She's definitely not the stealthiest ninja ever, but she's trying._

A moment later, he heard another sound, much louder this time…same direction…she tried to cover her tracks by getting out of there…Arashi easily made his way toward the sound, finally opening his eyes as he got there.

What he saw surprised him just a bit. Instead of Kaira, Arashi only found…her purple robe. _?!_ Recognizing the error quickly, Arashi leapt to the side as a small girl wearing a dark purple combat suit attempted to drop on his head. Quickly, he got into a defensive stance as Kaira sent her kicks flying.

_The trees are an advantage for her_, Arashi thought, _since I can't get distance from her easily. I need to get her out into the open._ Arashi methodically backtracked to the clearing, slowly leading her attacks out into the open air and away from the trees that would hinder his movement and awareness. After a moment in that new position, however, he began to consider the situation from a different light.

"Katon! Gokyakuu no jutsu!"

_Darn…lured here, huh?_ Arashi leaped into the air, evading the fireball attack as best he knew how. His backwards leap left him to analyze the situation a bit more, when all of a sudden his sixth sense screamed at him. Twisting instinctively in midair, he spotted Kakashi…_no not now…_

"Katon! Karyuu Endan!"

_Darn. Now._ Arashi watched as the young one prepared the Fire Dragon technique, and he immediately began preparing seals. _I can't evade such a fierce attack in midair too easily…I better prepare the water dragon._ A moment later, a different idea popped into his head, and preparing the handseals.

As Kakashi finally unleashed his attack, and the dragon approached, Arashi prepared his counter, pulling his right hand back into his own side. Outstretching his palm, he announced the move, extending his hand forward toward the dragon.

"Fuuton! Kamaitachi!!!"

As he released his chakra into the technique, a massive wave of air began gusting about…becoming a powerful wind that forced the dragon off course. In fact, Kakashi was forced to leave his spot in the trees for the danger of not knowing where the dragon might impact something of the forest below.

Arashi allowed himself to continue falling, performing a quick backflip in midair, and landing lightly on his feet, about 10 feet behind where he had originally leaped from. As he did, however, he was forced into quick action…Obito was already airborne, with his fist cocked back for another attempt at a fierce blow…

_No matter what, you haven't changed._ Quickly, Arashi sidestepped out of the way of the boy's attack, not quite noticing how Obito's punch changed when he began to shift his weight. Obito opened his fist and reached out…

…and got a hand on Arashi's right arm….and his forehead protector. Arashi shook off the surprise quickly, and began attempting to shake Obito off. Yet, the goggled boy hung there as best he could…_not like him to not have attacked me by now…I wonder what got him inspired to continue on like this…_

It wasn't until he heard the sliding noise behind his own feet that he really realized what had happened. Kaira had lured him to the clearing, and the others were forcing him to the air. Yet instead of taking to the trees, Arashi was intent to counter and land back on the ground.. So Kaira follwed Arashi's straight path backwards, intending to be there pretty much as he arrived. She was now latched onto his left ankle, attempting to pull her forehead protector from his control.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about it…Obito would not budge, and Kakashi had yet to show up. In his effort to remove Obito from his arm, he forgot about Kaira, and the forehead protector slipped from around his ankle. Kaira got the protector, then leaped into the air in satisfaction. The entire team applauded.

"See! We can get one!"

Arashi chuckled to Kaira at her response. "Yes…that's true.." Arashi half-smirked at the cheering kids. "I see you've finally learned to work as a team. So…Kaira has her protector. What about you boys?"

It so happened that Kaira didn't stop there. She continued aiding the boys until all three of them had their protectors back through various methods. Once Kakashi nearly got the one on the right arm, but Arashi was true to his word about the difficulty being too much for them.

And it so happened that everyone was much more confident (and hungry) at day's end.

--END Chapter 3

So what do you think? Again…never meant for it to be this long, but that's what popped into my head. What can you say?

This fanfic is not going to and was never meant to flesh out every event in the life of Kakashi. I will have other fics that spin from this universe (which will probably be semi AU as we find out more about the characters)…this one is just meant to show Arashi at key points. We've spent long enough at this one…the peaceful times.

Be forewarned…this story is about to take a drastic, dark, and angsty turn in the next few chapters. We have seen happy Konoha…now we must see what happens when Darkness Falls. After all, the true Strength of a Nation is never truly known until it is lost.


	7. Chapter 4 Part 1: The Stench of Death

As far as Arashi could tell, it was a day like any other. And that meant it was an excellent day to be alive. The ninjas of Konoha were celebrating a great lull in the battle-ridden times they had experienced so recently. The energy of peacetime…the happiness of having the whole family together for dinner…the cheerful yelling of children.

Arashi smiled, looking out the window of the mighty office he seemed to call home now. Two and a half years of work had left him stronger and more experienced…and had brought lasting peace to the walls of Konohagakure. Everything seemed to be looking up, even the rising sun.

Turning away from the window, however, he frowned. _Too bad I'm stuck here…with THIS…_

Arashi considered pounding his fist on the desk before him, then thought better of it and sat down with an audible sigh. _Sarutobi should do the paperwork…I'm too young to be stuck in here…_

"YAWN"

**_

* * *

_**

**_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation  
_Chapter 4: A Man with Weaknesses**

_Part 1: The Stench of Death_

* * *

Wednesday. Another dull day. Classes had let out at noon, and all of the younger children were eating lunch in the picnic area. Among them was an interesting visitor…a 13-year-old returning to chat with his instructors. Too bad for him.

"But, he isn't here today?"

The deep voice of a 20-something year old man replied to him. "I'm afraid not…they called me in to sub for him." An instructor wearing a green jacket shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets.

A younger kid walked by the 13-year-old, carrying a tray of food, and the elder man blinked. When he looked again, the runt of a visitor had his hands in his pockets, almost mocking the instructor. Before the man could respond, the boy had begun to speak. "Do you know if he'll be back tomorrow? Our next mission isn't until the weekend…"

Nara Shikato sighed, then leaned against the wall of the building. "Sorry…they've got me on day-to-day for him. He apparently had to leave town…something about his family…I wasn't listening entirely…"

The young boy frowned a bit. He had really hoped to see his old instructor. Glancing to one side, he pulled his hands out of his pockets, and grabbed the straw fromthejuice box he revealed in doing so. The boy shoved the straw through the hole and began to drink. Shikato raised an eyebrow. _When did this kid get a drink? He just got here…_

"Why'd you steal that other boy's juice box?"

"I'm not supposed to be here, so I can't get one. He'll just go get another one when he realizes it." Sure enough, the same kid passed back behind the young man, probably never putting two and two together.

Shikato eyed the younger ninja curiously. "What is your name?"

The boy finished off the drink, and pulled the straw from the box, leaving it dangling out of his teeth as he smiled. "Tell Kanno-sensei that Shiranui Genma came by to visit. Just an effort to spice up life."

Shikato smirked, and nodded as the kid waved and left the academy campus. _Kids nowadays. _Shikato's premonition was that that kid had probably been a top rookie at one point. It was in his smile. But, all he could read from the kid beyond that right now was…boredom. Shikato tilted his head up to the clouds, considering the fact that peace had reached his doorstep. He never would have imagined teaching at the academy before.

_I remember the days when life was interesting…something needs to happen soon. _

_

* * *

_

"**_Victorious_**!" _BAM!_

Arashi felt like he had just repelled a wave of his worst enemies. With a mighty roar and a booming impact, he rose from his seat, slamming the last of his paperwork onto his desk. "You are defeated!" True, it was an empty victory…paperwork would always come back for another round the next day, but he found himself being somewhat proud of being patient enough to get it done. _Hey…as long as I don't let it pile up, maybe I'll be able to get outta here every day by…_Arashi glanced out the window.

_Good God…the sun is setting. _A loud sigh echoed against the walls. _Ah well_...a_t least the **night** is young…_

Smiling, he grabbed his cloak and turned to the window. Looking out upon the city, he suddenly had the urge to see it all. _I need something to do…it's been a while since I've had an opportunity to visit with anyone. Maybe…_

His eyes drifted toward a particular person…then a group of people. _ANBU._

_Why is a group of Anbu standing directly outside of Hokage tower? _Soon, he spotted a couple more walking behind them, and a man calling after them. From here, he could only see the man's black clothing, and see that the Anbu turned to him and looked with respect. He waved them off, and the group dispersed. Arashi looked closer, and saw the man's defined face and his interesting mix of black and grey hair.

_Sarutobi._

He watched as Saru entered the building, and frowned. Whatever had been going on lately, he hadn't had much time to talk to his more-experienced counterpart this week. Sooner or later, he'd have to find out what had him so wound up. A knock on the office door interrupted Arashi's thoughts. "Come in."

He was expecting an Anbu captain, or perhaps one of the house chuunin…Sarutobi tended to spend some time in deep thought at this time of the day…at least lately. Instead, the man himself entered the room. As Arashi turned to face him, the look on Saru's face immediately set the mood for a long conversation. Arashi took off his cloak and placed it back on the coat rack. Turning back to Sarutobi, he noticed what the man was wearing.

"You're in battle garb, Saru-dono…and you arrive with a full squad and a half of Anbu. What is going on?"

"I apologize, Arashi…I should have kept you better informed about what's been going on, and perhaps things wouldn't have come to this…"

"…what things?"

"I never imagined…he would go this far…"

Arashi blinked. What Sarutobi had just said almost sounded like he was talking to himself. Looking at his elder, he noticed the man was staring into space.

"Sarutobi!" That had the desired effect, jarring the man from his thoughts. Arashi looked at him with a look of concern. "I've been doing paperwork…so you'll have to tell me what's going on…"

Sarutobi calmed down momentarily, and took a seat. Arashi closed his eyes and sighed. _It's going to be a long night, isn't it…_

_

* * *

_

_Earlier that day…_

_

* * *

_

The days were getting longer as Konoha summer approached, and Haruno Shigete suddenly found himself understanding why their land was known as "Fire Country". As a ninja living in the forest, you wouldn't really feel the difference…shade grants relief. Yet, outside of Konoha…today was not a day to walk without sandals.

The purpose was well worth it, however. Shigete was on a mission to purchase a stroller. In the times of war previously seen in Konoha, no one would really want to take their baby anywhere too far from home…Shigete considered it a sign of the times that his wife suddenly wanted to have the right equipment to not have to lug the baby everywhere she went. The walk perturbed him far more than the cost, but he was not one to complain much. After all, she had born him a _son_…why should he be angry? As the heat bare down on him, however, he pondered that it might be worthwhile to visit his father. A house with shade that was not too far from the main roads…it would be a valuable rest place, and he may save the man some time on shopping later.

His thoughts mimicked him as he veered off the main road and into the grasslands…he ran through the errands he needed to run the next day, and he smiled as his mind's eye envisioned his son smiling in the stroller…

As he walked, a thought invaded the solitude of his mind…a single thought that was quite disturbing. No matter how he tried to think of other things, his mind seemed to continue to veer directly back…to pictures of himself dying. His adrenaline began to pump. Every time he fought it off, the pictures would return…worse than before…more gruesome.

Suddenly, a picture came so vividly that he could almost feel the brutality. His body froze in place, muscles twitching, eyes wide as he realized that what he was feeling was…perhaps the strongest killing intent he'd ever felt. _Someone…something…is here. _He attempted to force his body to move, but it wasn't working…his muscles began to spasm with effort. Within the thoughts of death, he caught one in particular…

The slaughter of him, his father, and his entire family.

Shigete closed his eyes and stopped moving. _Yes. I have a family to protect._ _I must stay calm. _Opening his eyes again slowly, he quickly took control of his body again. Going down to one knee, he began rattling off hand seals. As he completed the last seal, he seemingly faded from view, and a whisper could be heard. "Mirenai no jutsu…" If anyone had been there, they would have been surprised when the grass rattled, as Shigete rolled to one side, then rose to his feet.

_Who in the world has such a strong killing intent way out HERE, and what are they doing?_ Attempting to get his bearings on what was around, he followed a presence he felt in the distance…carefully moving to avoid making noise.

The area he found seemed to be the entrance to some type of cave…but he wasn't sure if he had ever noticed it before. Sneaking behind a conveniently-placed tree, he peered over towards the cave, and noticed an interesting sight. A man was standing there, much like Shigete had been…overwhelmed by kanashibari. Shigete noted this guy was having a much tougher time doing anything…this was probably the man the intent was aimed after. Yet, despite not being the target, when his eyes veered over to the person doing the binding, he felt no more at ease.

_HIM? What?_

"Don't worry…you can be as afraid as you want to be…no one will hear your screams where I'll take you, so feel free…"

Shigete gasped as he realized what might be happening here…

The ruthless one paused. He turned his head and looked directly toward the tree in the distance. Slowly, his face turned from slight confusion to frustration as he realized that nothing was there. "Pardon me for a moment." The cruel killer formed an _in_ (hand seal) unfamiliar to Shigete.

_It was a good thing he didn't see me do this jutsu…I wouldn't live to tell about it._

"**_Despite the fact that I cannot see you…don't dare think that I don't know you're there…"_**

The addition of a new voice to Shigete's mind, especially one as dark and menacing as this one, was not doing much for his mental health.

"**_You stupid fool…dare you get between a snake and its prey…"_**

Looking at the evil before him, he could picture the man suddenly becoming a snake and attacking him…and it took everything within him to will himself still.

_I must NOT run. I must NOT run. No…_

"**_You will be my dessert!"_**

He stared directly into the eyes of the snake before him, unflinching, until he felt something leathery slide against his foot, and attempt to slither beneath his sandal. Shigete glanced down, and barely held in a yelp as he noticed the grass he was standing in was covered in cobras.

_Dear God..._

Slowly, they began to slither up his legs…beneath his clothes…and Shigete began to sweat...

Still he stood.

Sharp teeth tore into his thigh, and his eyes shut in pain, but he avoided yelling. The cobra on his foot slipped beneath his sandal and bit his foot, and for a split moment Shigete almost lost it. Tears began to leak from his eyes…but he remained still and silent...and fought the urge to faint. Fortunately…he was a Jounin who had been through worse torture in his lifetime.

_This is a genjutsu…it better be…_

"**_Hmph. Whoever you are…you are resilient."_**

Shigete fought off the cobras within his mind, and managed to keep his focus on the manipulator. Suddenly, he saw the man drag the binded fellow into the cave…it was then that he noticed the binded fellow was wearing a chuunin jacket of Konoha. The cave suddenly collapsed inward, and melted into the ground. The grass grew in time-lapse, covering the spot as though it never existed.

Shigete reached his hands up into a familiar hand seal. "Kai!" Immediately, the snakes stopped coming, and he was able to relax a bit. But not much at all…not after what he'd just seen. He dropped to one knee and gasped, taking in a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

No…visits and strollers would have to wait. The 3rd Hokage needed to know this immediately.

* * *

"For the longest time, I have suspected that more has been going on in this city than met the eye. Quiet comes before a storm…and pride in knowledge before a failure to notice something. I..." 

Before Sarutobi could continue, Arashi impulsively waved him off, called for one of the chuunin manning the tower, and asked him to prepare some tea. Sarutobi cleared his throat and continued.

"Last week I received a report of strange activity on the part of Orochimaru…disappearances for extended periods of time. Today, we received a report from a chuunin on vacation that he had spotted Orochimaru outside of the city. The ANBU reports at the gate said they never saw him."

Arashi didn't put it past Orochimaru to evade the ANBU's sight. _After all, if he really wanted to…_

"But not only that…the chuunin reported that Orochimaru had body-binded a Jounin, and taken him into some type of underground pit that seemingly transformed into normal grassland soon afterwards."

Arashi frowned. Part of him initially refused this story as outlandish…but then he began to think. _Kanashibari to bind with…a Stone Molder jutsu to create the cave...any one of 5 different jutsus to make an underground tunnel, a Mud Barrier jutsu to refill the hole afterwards, and a growth jutsu to make the grass grow back quickly…I can do it, and that means he probably could…_

"When I heard about it, I immediately went to search for Orochimaru and disprove this…but I did not find him. Then I thought further…"

Arashi frowned and mumbled. "There have been many chuunin and Jounin who have not returned from their missions promptly lately…"

Sarutobi looked down for a moment, sighed deeply and shakily. "We have found them all."

The word _found_ struck Arashi's ears as a very foreboding word to use.

"I had already suspected that some of the missing were dead, and my worst fears were being fed here…so I brought together a couple of teams of ANBU to search the sewers and the underground tunnel networks for anything strange. Eventually, they spotted a tunnel that no one could remember, and we explored it, and stumbled upon him…"

Sarutobi sighed again, and Arashi blinked. Looking at his superior…and his friend, he suddenly noticed how…_deflated_ the man looked. For the first time in his life, Arashi looked at Sarutobi and truly saw his age.

"I don't know if I can tell this story…"

_

* * *

_

_Earlier that day..._

_

* * *

_

_The silence was deafening. No noise...just the dull sight of a room with stone walls, and a barricaded wooden door. Something in the distance looks like a life-size crucifix against the wall, but it draws little attention. A momentary flicker of the lights...and then the room was still. Suddenly, the door opened, snapping the plank of wood that was holding it closed into three. In that moment, three ANBU slithered into the room at top speed, kunais drawn. The sound of more warriors in the hall could be heard. Another door could be heard closing in the distance, and suddenly the voices flaired up._

_"You!"_

_"Hokage-sama! We've found him...dear God...the stench..."_

**_"Oooooooooooohhhhh..."_**

_Immediately another body entered the room...a man dressed in all black, a Konoha forehead protecter catching glare from the ceiling lights. Scanning the room, the man focused his eyes on something in the distance, but not before noticing the rest of the room. A voice came from the distance..._

**O: **"So you have finally found me…I knew sooner or later it would have to happen."

_The man in black stepped forward, and the sounds of other footsteps echoed in the room. Sandaime spoke._

**S: **"What are you doing down here, Orochimaru?"

**O: **"Have you come to see my work? It's all on the walls for everyone to see…"

**S: **"My God…"

_It becomes obvious that the "crucifix" against the wall is actually a corpse...and thatthere are other tortured souls all around the room..._

**O: **"Yes, I quite agree…they are a bit disgusting…but they grow on you after a while…"

**S: **"These are Konoha's own…why would you do such a thing?"

_One of the ANBU began to wretch. Sarutobi locked his eyes on Orochimaru's, noting the same look he'd always seen deep within them..._

**O: **"Why wouldn't I? What do these bodies mean to me? They serve a greater purpose as they are now than your pathetic flag…"

**S: **"You _can't _be doing what I think you are…"

**O: **"You know what my dream has been for ages…I wish to learn every technique…"

**S: _"You wish to play God…!"_**

**O: **"Not exactly, although in order to do such a thing, I would need to borrow God's immortality…"

**S:** "So that's what this is…a big experiment?"

**O:** "My methods have given results, but not quite what I wanted…yet."

**S:** "You wretched snake…"

_Orochimaru chuckles, and nearly slips into laughter before speaking._

**O:** "Sarutobi-sensei…you seem surprised. Why does this surprise you? You've known me all along…and I'm sure you knew what your decisions would mean…"

_Sarutobi freezes for a moment, and then looks down to the ground._

**S: **"I have been such a fool…believing that someday you would change. That perhaps someone would reach that cold heart of yours and make you into a man…but instead you are nothing but a skilled boy to this day."

**O: **"Yes, a skilled boy…a boy more powerful than an army! And you are nothing more than an old man…an old man that I have given too much power to."

_Sarutobi pauses, confused by Orochimaru's last comment. Orochimaru turns away from Sarutobi, pacing lightly and almost thinking aloud._

**O: **"It was hope that kept me in check this long…I know how much the people admire me, and yet, how much they fear me and hate my existence. Were they in your shoes, they would have killed me when they had the chance. But none of that mattered, because you decided in your high wisdom to give me an opportunity to grow and learn. I'd thank you for that…for giving me hope…but it made me weak. Because even as I gained hope, I learned to fear losing it. Even as I learned to strike fear in others, I _feared. And it wasn't the people that I feared...or failure or anything silly like that...no..."_

_Orochimaru turns back to Sarutobi, an intensely vicious look on his face._

**O: **You…_YOU_ are the only thing I have feared from this wretched place, all my life. Because you had the knowledge, and the strength to defeat me…and to end my ambitions. You held all the keys. And I believed that you would use them to unlock my full potential. And yet, despite that belief, when the time came you threw my key out the window! Discarded it to some faithful trash that is lesser…and will not be spoken of here. You threw my dreams to the wolves…and I will feed you to the snakes…"

_Sarutobi recognizes his anger as centered over the choice of Arashi as Hokage._

**S: **"I have given you more than you can fathom…this country has given you its strength…and you spit on it this way…desecrating the bodies of your allies…"

**O: **"They are your allies, not mine…this foolish country has never been 'mine'…I served you because **you** served **me**…not because of blood or some foolish flag. And yet, you betrayed me…"

**S: **"You were not ready for the responsibility of this office…and you never will be!"

**O: **"I DON'T WANT YOUR WORTHLESS OFFICE ANYMORE, OLD MAN!"

_Sarutobi pauses, hearing Orochimaru's evilest tone. Silence filled the room for a moment, until one of the ANBU shifted a bit. Orochimaru continued._

**O:** "Why would I want your desk job, you worthless old fool? Hokage is nothing more than a slave's title...an expression of a man's weakness and will to be a victim. I want no part of that foolishness...especially for a village as **weak **as this."

_The words of a jealous fool...the anger in them was obvious. The word "weak" echoed in the air._

**O: **"There was a time when my legacy was in your hands…when you would decide what I could be and become…when my legend was tied to yours…but no more. I HAVE SURPASSED YOU, SARUTOBI! IT IS I WHO HOLDS THE KEYS…TO BOTH MY FATE AND YOURS…"

**S:** "If you really believe that, then show me!"

_Sarutobi steps forward in anger, and Orochimaru straightens up in reaction. The sound of 15 to 20 weapons being drawn brings a sly smile to Orochimaru's face. Yet, in retrospect, it's somewhat obvious that Orochimaru is a bit worried...away from the sight of the ANBU and Sarutobi, his leg muscles tense up._

**O: "**If you wish, we could end this now…if you are so willing to attack me. Yet…"

_The snake licks his lips..._

**O: "**I don't believe either of us will be truly happy with the result. A battle like this would be titanic…and dangerous. And besides, when I fight you, I want to see your sweat…"

_Glancing up, Sarutobi remembers that they are underground, and that a battle down here of this kind would result in utter destruction…_

**O:** "But really, it doesn't matter anyway…because at some point Konoha _will _fall by my hands…"

**S:** "You'll never succeed. I won't let you."

**O:** "Like I said. Old brat. You have no power here, and you know it."

_The hands of the ANBU tighten around their weapons, but their movement is cut short by a yell._

**O:** "Do ANY of you _fools _REALLY think you have a chance!"

_The ANBU back off. Slowly, Orochimaru picks his right leg up, and advances._

**O:** "I invite you again. If you can really strike me so easily because of all I've done, then I have _no choice _but to fight."

_Orochimaru licks his lips and puts on his most ruthless expression…_

_To one not caught up in the moment, it was simple to tell that there was a bit of fear in his body…this is perhaps the only man that can kill him. It's too bad no one there could see that. Slowly, Orochimaru's weight shifted to one side..._

**O:** "You won't get a second opportunity…I will strike when there is no defense…and you and your little runt kid will be no match…"

_Sarutobi attempts to rouse his anger to fight his own student…almost his son. But, even as he attempts to, his shoulders sink, and his eye contact drifts._

**O: **"Then…"

_Orochimaru makes his move while there is doubt, charging through the ANBU and speeding out of the sewer as fast as he can. The ANBU begin to make chase, but an explosive note hinders their route out long enough for an easy escape._

**S: **"I've made a horrible mistake…"

* * *

As Arashi watched the video, which they'd taken from one of Orochimaru's own surveillance cameras, he was stunned. "Despite how cold he was to many of us, I never would have imagined him doing anything like this…" 

Sarutobi had begun to cry not long before the end. "I couldn't…I couldn't bring myself to do it…I'm sorry, Arashi, for all the trouble I've brought you today…"

Arashi sighed, and closed his eyes. For a moment, he attempted to imagine what he would do if Kakashi turned out to be pure evil 10-20 years from now…would he be able to kill someone he'd spent 2 decades teaching? A shudder passed through him at the thought…

"Saru…I doubt I could have done it either…and it's not your fault. It's not like you could have known…"

Sarutobi continued to cry. "Yes it is…I KNEW, Arashi…I knew he wasn't fit for this…and yet I gave him all I had anyway…I've created this monster."

Arashi remained silent.

"He was the type of talent…that shows up only once in a century…and in the time of war I became Hokage in, I couldn't see letting that type of talent slip, no matter what the cost…I was determined to train him, and change his fate."

"His fate?"

"Orochimaru was orphaned. His parents were casualties of a regional skirmish, and when the orphanage he lived in closed down, he eventually ended up here. He wanted to do something where he could make a real difference, and he quickly proved to be capable of ninjutsu. But, he was very self-motivated and cocky once he learned how good he was, and he continually talked about how he would one day be the best…beyond the best…"

"When I began training him, he did a good job of hiding it…so that I wouldn't send him to a psychiatrist or anything…but when you're around someone long enough…you know what they're hiding eventually…deep down, I knew…but I wouldn't admit it to myself…this whole situation would never have happened if I just admitted..."

As Arashi looked at Sarutobi again, he saw a broken man before him. Things were apparently more serous within the mind of Sarutobi than the young boy could imagine. Sarutobi bowed his head before Arashi, and began to cry.

"I'm sorry, Arashi...I've called you to a way of life I haven't lived myself...I have regrets that cannot be fixed..."

Arashi was stunned into silence. He couldn't think of what to say that could help the situation...and Sarutobi continued to cry. Eventually, he settled on drinking his tea, and lightly said..."It's not the end of the world. We'll handle it."

Sarutobi's crying died down some, and the man spoke once more.

"He will come back…I know that…and he might wait out my death in order to attack you…or he may strike soon…there's no telling…the peace I've tried to create my entire life is tainted now…"

Arashi thought hard and long, and realized that there was little he could do. While Konoha had not fallen today, much of his friend's world had. Sarutobi had a bit of soul-searching to do if he was going to come out of this successfully.

"Sandaime-sama...I believe it is time you took a rest."

Sarutobi didn't look up. "You know I can't do that..."

Arashi nonchalantly waved, though Sarutobi couldn't see him do it. "I guarantee you we'll be ok…I've still got two of the Sannin here if anything crazy were to happen…and I've gotten the hang of all of this paperwork. But, I can't stand to see you like this…"

Sarutobi took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down. Arashi continued.

"Please, Saru-dono…go home and get some rest…see your family…and take the break you were originally planning to a month ago. When you're ready to return, we'll still be here. This isn't your burden to worry about."

Sarutobi closed his eyes, unable to completely stop crying, and bowed before the young one who was showing him so much mercy.

"Arashi...you truly have grown into a fine young man. Thank you."

"Shush. Go get some rest and enjoy yourself."

Five minutes later, when Sarutobi left the building and the village of Konoha, Arashi felt as if he'd done a good thing.

But for some reason, part of him felt like the world had just evolved into a deeper...and darker place. Rewinding the video tape of the confrontation between Orochimaru and Sandaime, he couldn't help but notice just how strongly Orochimaru felt about Konoha's weakness.

Something about the way Orochimaru said it...made Arashi wonder if he felt the same way.

* * *

Well, that's the end of part 1 of the 4th chapter that I've been working on for so long...I'll be putting the others up soon. We've got spring break soon, so that's prettymuch a guarantee of some writing happening within the next 2-3 weeks. I'm also working on a few other stories, including _Lost Hope, _and another little ditty that I haven't posted a chapter for yet, but I've written 3...we'll see when/if I actually put it up though.

The Kakashi Gaiden manga chapters made me re-evaluate a lot of what I've done so far...the 4th seems a lot more mellow in his years as Hokage than I was making him out to be. Ah well. What's done is done...but we'll just imagine that what happens next is what makes him suddenly get so much more serious. I may even rewrite the genin test stuff to be less crude, but we'll see.

I apologize for how much I've dragged my feet on this stuff. Hopefully all the people who were reading before still are!


	8. Chapter 4 Part 2:Streets of Melting Gold

The forest surrounding hidden Leaf village seemed to know of the sorrow within its walls. The animals had a sullen and somber disposition today. Squirrels sat in the trees, ignoring their day's work and seemingly gazing into the distance. Perhaps they had picked up on the dark and gray mood hanging over Konoha before most of the people had.

Their mood was in drastic disproportion to the man glancing at them as he passed. White hair bounced around chaotically as Jiraiya leaped through the trees of the forest, frantically searching for a clue.

Jiraiya hadn't been around when Sandaime returned; he'ddiscovered Orochimaru's exile through a random conversation in the streets of the great village. He went to Central Command and looked the Third Hokage directly in his eyes to confirm the rumor's truth. After doing so, he knew far more than anyone expected.

"No one's going after him?" Jiraiya asked, and Sandaime's eyes gave him all the answer he needed. Jiraiya declared his intentions officially.

"If no one else is moving," Jiraiya said with authority, "**I will find Orochimaru**." And with that, he had left the village to find and follow the snake sennin's trail, not even hanging around long enough to hear the Third's response...or notice that the Fourth was in the room...

* * *

**_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation  
_Chapter 4: A Man with Weaknesses**

_Part 2: Streets of Melting Gold_

_

* * *

_

He had been a bit hasty, Jiraiya knew, but no one was better at covering their own tracks than Orochimaru. He had to be pressed quickly, or else he would escape without a trace. It would be impossible to find a snake in the rain.

_It'll be hard to find him, period,_ Jiraiya thought. Orochimaru was the best all-around ninja of his generation. _This would not be an easy hunt, even for a hunter-nin._

_And here I am, not even a hunter-nin, attempting to do it alone. _Yet, Jiraiya suspected that would be the reason he'd find Orochimaru. A hunter-nin would be killed on sight...a familiar face stood a better chance of getting to talk with him. And on top, Jiraiya had personal experience with Orochimaru that might work in his favor. _They probably think Orochimaru is long gone by now...but I suspect something. _Jiraiya took a deep breath, and suddenly came to a stop on a tree limb. _I've been forgetting an important factor in all this._

Jiraiya took a light sniff at the air. The distinct odor of Orochimaru's body came through clearly...he hadn't had a chance to bathe, apparently.Orochimaru was normally a well-kept man,but Jiraiya had been on missions with him that had lasted months. The odor was a quiteeasy identifier to anyone who had been around him when he had not bathed for days. _But for the odor to be this strong...I must have caught up. _Quickly, Jiraiya scanned the area. Based on the tree size, he had come to the eastern edge of the forest. There was a city a bit further to the north, but there was no way Orochimaru would risk showing up there. Only a bit further to the east, there was a lake...was Orochimaru going to bathe before leaving Fire Country? Risky...but then again, leaving your enemies a trail of your own body musk that crossed into other countries was risky too.

Jiraiya leaped down from the trees and made his way toward the lake...he apparently had good timing, because Orochimaru was just beginning to strip, preparing to bathe in the waters. Jiraiya made his presence known quickly.

"Oi! Orochimaru!"

Jiraiya could see Orochimaru's body stiffen at the sound of his voice. As Orochimaru stopped, Jiraiya stepped forward to confront him.

Orochimaru refused to face him, and spoke politely. "Please do not interfere, Jiraiya. I have to go."

Jiraiya's fists balled, and he grit his teeth in anger. "Why, Orochimaru? Why did you experiment on Konoha's own?"

Orochimaru remained silent and still. The 3rd Hokage couldn't get any remorse out of him...he certainly wasn't about to let Jiraiya do so.

Jiraiya didn't doubt that Orochimaru had done the things he'd heard about, but he still doubted _why_, and he sought clarification...he would not let this opportunity leave. "Orochimaru. **Answer me.**"

Orochimaru remained still. "Jiraiya, please don't make me kill you. _I have to go_." The words were measured and patient...and _cold_.

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Are you for real? You're just going to up and leave?" Jiraiya began to wish he'd heard the whole story from the Third, because the situation was too unreal for him to digest. This was the favorite of Sandaime...the all-powerful...and perhaps the best (but at least the oddest) friend he'd ever known...just turning his back and running? What could possibly be the reason behind it?

Orochimaru frowned, his face still turned away from Jiraiya's. What in the world was wrong with this boy? His fists quivering, Orochimaru turned around and faced Jiraiya, letting the venom slip into his voice. "**Damn it, Jiraiya, act your age! What do you expect me to do? Wait for Sarutobi-sensei to hunt me down and kill me? Stand trial before a government that hates me? Take my punishment like a 'man'? What would be the point of me staying in the Leaf?"**

Jiraiya took a small step back, thrown by the anger he felt in his teammate. The words Orochimaru had just said removed all doubt. The words Jiraiya spoke came out more like verbal thought. "Then, it's all true then...you really did kill those Jounin..."

Orochimaru let out a cold chuckle. "You mean, you didn't even believe that...with the evidence in front of you..." _As always, Jiraiya, your slow mind amazes me._

Jiraiya's mind reeled from the truth being thrown at him. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that Orochimaru was never really a patriot. He had always been cold, and had always sought to improve his own techniques. His selfish qualities came through far more than any urge to protect. And, of course he'd gotten sore when he was overlooked for Hokage. But the jump from selfish ninja to evil murderer was a long one, and Jiraiya looked on in amazement at the pale-skinned man before him. _He's already made the jump...he already decided where he stood months ago. _"When did you become so...evil?"

Orochimaru frowned for a split second, but he veiled that frown with annoyance. "Why does it matter? The point is that I don't belong here...and I never did. That damned Sarutobi strung me along, and I'll make him pay."

Jiraiya balled his fists tightly in frustration. "You'll do so over my dead body."

Orochimaru smirked for a moment, and put his hands on his hips. "What can your live onedo to stop me?"

Despite whatever anger he felt, Jiraiya smirked back. Something within him sighed as nearly 20 years of interactions played back within his mind. "I can kill you." He mocked Orochimaru, placing his hands on his hips and tilting his head to the side. "...would that stop you?"

Orochimaru chuckled lightly and played along. "No." He couldn't help but notice Jiraiya shift a bit at that response. Sure, it wasn't entirely true, but it meant nothing.

Both of them, he was sure, knew the truth. This would not end in a massive battle...no one would die here. Neither of them had the killing intent for a battle of this magnitude right now. No...this was a solemn moment...a civil farewell between two old friends, though Orochimaru would never use that word. And yet, their acquaintance was close and personal...even he would not argue with that.Orochimaru gave a lukewarm smile. His qualm was not with Jiraiya, and yet he knew this would be the last time they would ever see remotely eye to eye. His loyalty to Sarutobi was too strong to be swayed, and sooner or later Jiraiya would have to die for the snake sennin's plans to succeed. But not now. The next time they met, one would surely die.

Orochimaru knew Jiraiya held him in closer esteem than he held Jiraiya. He suspected that Jiraiya felt much like the Third and would be reluctant to fight, even if he attacked full-force. There was no fun in that, and certainly no merit...in fact, it was risky. A battle outside the forest and so near a city would call attention to the fact that the snake sennin was still in Fire Country. And, he suspected that if the Third Hokage had any clue that were a possibility, there would be a lot of hunter-nin on his tail. No...he could not take that chance. He would simply handle Jiraiya when he handled Sarutobi. Both of their deaths deserved an epic battle...a battle where they had years of preparation and still failed. That would be fitting.

_This_ was nothing more than a closing to their _previous _relationship.

Suddenly, something within Orochimaru instinctivelyfelt the danger of the situation, and the smile wiped entirely away. He visibly stiffened up, and his eyes began frantically searching for something. His eyes shifted to Jiraiya once more, and noticed a look of slight confusion on his face, but that didn't change the situation at all. "Jiraiya..." Orochimaru looked to him, his eyes expressing a panicked shock.

"**You brought reinforcements?**" _You spurred Sarutobi to action? Have I underestimated you?_

Jiraiya's mouth dropped open slightly, and he turned back toward the forest. Based off the sounds in the distance (the attempts to be silently sneaky), there was at least a squad of ANBU approaching. Probably more. _Oh no...this could get bad. _"No, I came alone, Orochimaru..." _Who the hell did this? _Jiraiya turned back towards his old ally...

Orochimaru's eyes burned with rage and anger. "**_You..._**"

"Orochimaru..." Jiraiya took a careful step forward...

Suddenly, the chase was on. Orochimaru turned abruptly away from his white-haired adversary, and sprinted at top speed toward the forest...and the ANBU. Jiraiya could see his elbows moving as Orochimaru began to do hand seals.

"**Shit**!" Jiraiya sprinted after him, knowing what would happen if he didn't make it...

* * *

Kazama Arashi balled his fists and frowned. Tea was not going to help him relax at the moment, and he wasn't about to start doing paperwork again. And yet, he would wait at his desk until sunrise if it increased his chances of being there when Jiraiya returned. _I hope I did the right thing...sending those ANBU to help..._

He couldn't shake the feeling he should have gone with them. Arashi clasped his hands together, bowed his head, and prayed to kami-sama. _Be safe, Jiraiya...stay alive._

_

* * *

_

_Orochimaru is sprinting towards us. No time to waste._

It was apparent that the jig was up, but no one expected what happened next. A man wearing a fox mask rose from his knee and yelled out commands. "We've been spotted, folks! Get in there and--"

The entire squad looked up to their leader as he spoke, and suddenly gasped in shock. The look of intense pain on his face was shocking enough, but seeing Orochimaru's fangs pierce their leader's neck was a fearsome experience. Especially considering they could still see his body in front of them, nearly 50 yards away and far beneath the layer of treetops where they were hiding. The head jerked around and its fangs tore across the man's skin violently...blood ran like a river down the front of the man's vest.

And suddenly, the eyes looked up from their prey, searching the eyes of every man and woman before it. There was little chance it saw anything but pure panic. His mouth opened and released the leader's neck, and suddenly a sword extended from his throat...

* * *

Jiraiya sprinted after Orochimaru, seeing his snake-like neck extend so that his head could kill the ANBU leader. Jiraiya whipped out a kunai and charged towards his back... 

Suddenly, the elasticity of the neck kicked in, but instead of retracting Orochimaru's head, his body was pulled forward and into the trees...and away from Jiraiya's assault. Jiraiya looked on in helplessness as Orochimaru quickly carved up the rest of the ANBU in the trees with him. Jiraiya suddenly noted that there were 3 more ANBU squads in the area...they would probably be little more than snake food too if he didn't hurry. He leaped into the trees after the snake.

Too late. Orochimaru had noticed the ANBU as well, and this time, he rocketed through the trees as fast as he could, attempting to leave everyone in the dust. Jiraiya took up a fast chase, the ANBU quickly falling behind. Suddenly, Orochimaru leaped forward toward another tree and turned in mid-air...

Jiraiya quickly caught on and dove down from the treetops to the forest floor, watching above him as fire spread across the treetops. Quickly, he rattled off hand seals and responded. There was no time to waste. "Doton! Swamp of the Underworld!" Jiraiya slapped his palms onto the ground, facing the area he had just passed through. As ANBU showed up around him, the ground in front of his handsmorphed into a gigantic swamp, and the trees began to uproot and topple. A moment later, the swamp began to suck the flaming trees into its awesome depths. _We can't afford to have a fire like that spread..._ Jiraiya turned toward the ANBU. "Take care of the rest of that flame! Leave him to me!" Before getting a response, he took off after Orochimaru.

It didn't take Jiraiya long to find him.

Orochimaru had sprinted his way through the trees, taking a straight path. His panic was obvious...and Jiraiya dared to question whether he was beyond thought anymore. _I have to finish this soon, before he gets too wild...before he gets any more desperate. _Orochimaru was faster than Jiraiya, however, so what could he do? Jiraiya began a quick hand seal sequence, and leaped onto a tree, palm face down.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" A puff of smoke appeared, and now Jiraiya was sitting on a frog twice his size. Jiraiya, pointed in Orochimaru's direction. "Leap as far as you can! That way!"

The frog looked up to him and smirked, then tensed itshindlegs. "**Okay! Let's...MOVE!**" And they were airborne. Thank goodness for a frog's strong legs. Jiraiya quickly unmounted the frog and inched to one side...

A perfectly-timed leap later, and he had tackled Orochimaru in mid-air. They wrestled, plummeting toward the ground as they fought for position...Jiraiya noted that Orochimaru was fighting him like a scared child, kicking and elbowing. Jiraiya quickly shifted his weight in midair so that he would land on top of Orochimaru...

And suddenly he felt the body he was holding give in ways it should not, and quickly let go of the odd gunk he had been holding. Jiraiya repositioned himself quickly and landed on his feet. _I guess he still has some of his faculties...whoa!_

Orochimaru's snake-like head was vaulting towards him from a distance...Jiraiya had no time to think, but his hands knew the right thing to do.

"Ninpou, Hari Jizou!" His white hair quickly shifted to surround his body, and hardened into sharp spikes like a hedgehog's. The last thing Jiraiya saw was Orochimaru's evil grin...

And suddenly he felt a piercing pain move deep into his right thigh. Jiraiya howled in pain and shut his eyes, fighting back tears and attempting to concentrate. _This isn't good!_

Orochimaru began to laugh (as much as he could with his fangs in Jiraiya's leg). _Did you really think I'd be so foolish as to panic without any thought? _One of his fangs had caught a major artery in Jiraiya's thigh, and he prepared to make one final twist to end Jiraiya...

"_**AAAH**!_" Suddenly, blades pierced his face and forced his fangs back, and Orochimaru quickly retracted his neck to escape the pain. _How? I evaded that jutsu..._He slowly opened his eyes once more, forcing back the pain with an intense growl...

Jiraiya stood in the same spot, panting heavily, his pants full of holes from where his leg hair had sliced through his pants. Profuse blood ran down his right leg.

Orochimaru screamed in rage and covered his face, dropping to one knee and feeling to see how deep the wounds were. They were not life threatening, but they certainly were painful. Throbbing pain overtook him when he tried to move his eyes, and his lips quivered in anger. His eyes began to tear up from the pain, and he discovered it hurt to cry as well. Quickly, almost blindly, Orochimaru stood, turned, andran through the forest and away from there.

Jiraiya attempted to run after him, but only managed to collapse in pain. Those fangs had torn a major muscle in his leg, it seemed, and he was still bleeding heavily. Yet, all he knew was that he might have just lost his final chance to end this.

**"OROCHIMARU!" **The scream echoed in the air, and Jiraiya went unconscious.

**

* * *

**

Arashi didn't know what had happened. The leader of the mission was dead, and his second in command had been putting out a fire...and those who had brought him back were far too concerned with what they were seeing now to run to Command give a report.

All he knew was that from his window on the fourth floor of Command, he heard Tsunade scream bloody murder. The panic in her voice was clear, and Arashi found himself scared to imagine what could have happened. Instead of imagining, Arashi jumped up from his desk and ran out of the building and over to the medical center next door, and covered his mouth in shock.

In the back hall opposite his current position, Tsunade was standing still, her back turned, her legs quivering...Arashi quickly made his way over and looked to her. The look on her face spoke of fear, and tears were flowing from her eyes. He looked towards what her eyes were locked upon...

Two ANBU who had apparently stormed in through the back door were carefully holding Jiraiya...attempting not to move his legs in any way that might twist them. The reason was obvious enough...there were two holes going deep into his thigh...one dangerously close to a major artery. Blood was everywhere...the artery was probably already punctured slightly. Arashi watched in shock as the two ANBU hastily but carefully slipped him onto the ground in front of Tsunade, and she took a step back as she saw the blood begin to puddle beneath his leg. "No! Not him too! Not him too!" Tsunade turned away from the scene...it was just too much.

Arashi looked her in her panicked eyes, then turned away from her pained stare. His mental faculties started to return. "Is he still alive?"

One of the ANBU turned to him and nodded. "He still has a pulse. Weakening, but alive. He's lost a signifcant amount of blood."

The second one, apparently a medic nin, turned to Arashi. "We can't operate on him with that artery punctured like that. One wrong move and it'd be all over..."

Arashi frowned. "So you need..." He turned back to Tsunade.

The panic on her face was two fold. Yes, her fear of blood was rearing its ugly head. But, Arashi knew this was also probably the best friend she had left...such had been the way her life had gone. Arashi saw the look on her face and pulled her in to a consoling hug. Tsunade cried on his shoulder, but Arashi knew there wasn't much more time to waste over her sadness. "Tsunade...Jiraiya needs you."

Tsunade cried all the more, and screamed in agony. _Nawaki...Dan! And now him too! I can't lose another..._

"We can't do anything to help him, Tsunade..."

He felt her body spasm and twitch in his arms, and squeezed her harder. He began to cry himself, and quickly forced the tears back. It would do no good for them both to break down.

"Aunt Tsunade, you can help him..."

Slowly, he shifted his weight, turning them around so that he was facing away from Jiraiya's body. He felt her shift and look over his shoulder once more, and he could feel her body stiffen as she panicked again. Arashi spoke lightly into her ear.

"I know you're afraid...and he might die. But if you don't help him, it's definite. Do this for him..."

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya's unconcious body as Arashi spoke, and began to gasp for air, hyperventilating. Arashi hugged her closer and deliberately slowed his own breathing, moving his whole body with each breath, forcing her body to match his rhythm. Slowly, she calmed, but she was still afraid...a moment passed before either of them moved again.

"Please, Tsunade...help my sensei..." Arashi began to cry again and closed his eyes. Silence followed. Arashi felt a light squeeze on his hand. Helet go, and Tsunade made eye contact with him. Her puffy eyes attempted to express thanks as best she could, then she turned and walked toward Jiraiya.

Dropping to her knees at his side, she gasped as her knee dipped into the pool of blood on the floor. Quickly, she closed her eyes. She attempted to reach a hand forward towards his thigh, but was shocked when she couldn't actually control the movement of her own hand. Her heart started to beat quickly...

Tsunade's eyes quivered beneath their lids, and the tears began to flow. _No matter what, _Tsunade vowed to herself..._no matter what, I have to help him! _She forced her eyes open, and carefully moved her hands to his chest. Manipulating her chakra flow, she coaxed Jiraiya's heart to slow its rhythms a bit more...and the blood stopped leaking from his wounds. Quickly, she shifted her hands until it was over the bloody wound (but not touching it), and attempted to extend her chakra flow into the wound to help healing.

This process was too slow. She knew Jiraiya would need a blood transfusion soon if he were going to live...and this wouldn't cut it. She just couldn't extend her chakra projection far enough from her own body to do it without touching his. Everyone in the room knew what had to be done, and Tsunade's body began to twitch again.

_"Please, Tsunade...help your friend..."_ Arashi walked over to his sensei's left side, and grabbed his hand, feeling for his pulse. The words came out without him realizing he'd spoken them aloud.

Tsunade screamed in panic, but her body did something different. Quickly, her hands latched onto Jiraiya's bloody thigh. Her eyes shut tight and she twisted her head away from the picture stuck in her head, but she continued to hold on. Concentrating everything she had on her healing, she began healing the artery in Jiraiya's leg. She bit her own lip hard to stop from screaming, and the tears would not stop flowing...Arashi remained as silent as possible, watching and hoping she'd pull it off.

A minute or so later, Tsunade began to hyperventilate again. She quickly reached over to Jiraiya's chest and reactivated the full chakra flow of his heart. Then, opening her eyes, she saw how bloody her hands were. It was only a split second before she screamed in blood-curdling agony and pure fear, and she ran from the hallway to the bathroom.

Arashi released a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. _She did it. But at what damage to her own psyche? _Arashi turned to the ANBU. They moved without a word, and took Jiraiya as carefully as they could to the nearest operation room. Arashi wiped his eyes and went to the restroom to check on Tsunade.

**_TO BE CONTINUED . . ._**

* * *

It's been almost a year since I've updated this fic, and I figured it was about time to get it done. 

The Yondaime Arc is reaching a dangerous crossroads...where no real information is available about what happens when. The real fear I have is a lack of consistency, and I endeavor to make sure it's not my fault. There are already enough vague things in Naruto without me creating misinformation about things we know for a fact. This is part of the reason I've been so slow on writing for it...I was stalling hoping more info would come out. Since it hasn't, I'll move on and put my ideas out there as orignally planned.

Other than that, this thing is beginning to reach a higher rating standard as the situations get more serious. I may have to kick it up to teen before it's done, but it's _definitely_ not K anymore. I personally don't see the ratings as a big thing, but I want to make sure that those who do realize that I'm covering the darkest parts of Konoha's past...this fic will _probably _end up teen for blood and violence, and a few characters with dirty mouths nearer the end.

I haven't proofread this one nearly as much as I normally do, considering I wrote nearly all of this today. Here's hoping it's not chock full o typos and stuff. If it is, someone shoot me a PM and let me know. Otherwise, it might be weeks before I notice, and everyone'll think I'm some sloppy 10-year-old and stop reading.

This chapter came out so well, I actually considered turning it into a oneshot. If not for Arashi's role (and the fact that he's somewhat of an OC who'd have no origin in the oneshot), I probably would have.

On another note, is anyone else having problems with things in ff? I seem to have a consistent issue where things I know I put a space in suddenly don't have them sothewordsenduplikethisandihavetore-edit it. This is an excessive example...but you get the idea. It makes it really hard to write on here when you're having to cover up the editting program's typos too...anyway...

I'll try to keep writing until midterms hit, so please review and let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 4 Part 3: Severed Leaves

_**From the Yondaime Story Arc:**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Knock, knock. Here goes._

"Tsunade-basan? I'm coming in..."

**_

* * *

_ **

_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation  
_Chapter 4: A Man with Weaknesses

_Part 3: Severed Leaves_

_

* * *

_

Kazama Arashi slowly opened the door to the women's restroom and listened carefully. He could hear the sound of running water. Quickly, he slipped inside and took a look around. "Tsunade-basan?" He glanced toward the sinks, then took a closer look.

At one of the bathroom sinks, Tsunade-hime, the legendary medical ninja, was having a panic attack. In her haste to clean the blood off of her hands, she had apparently placed her hands on the sink, and the fear stopped her from approaching the sink again. He could hear her hyperventilating, and her hands were shaking violently.

Arashi quickly dashed over and made his presence known. "Tsunade...come on, let's move to another sink." He guided her carefully to the next sink over and calmed her, then cut on the water and ran her hands beneath it. Arashi grabbed a paper towel and wet it, then cleaned up the mess at the other sink, and whatever stray blood he found on her. "Sshhh...shhh...it's okay. It's all going down the drain..." He felt truly bad for her...no one anticipated a situation like this could ever come up, and here she was, stuck in the middle of it with no warning.

When Arashi thought about it again, the same could be said for him. But this wasn't the time for such thoughts. Tsunade was breaking down...Arashi finished cleaning her off and smiled. "See? No more blood..." Arashi felt condescending for a moment...as if he was treating her like a child. And yet, he knew he had to do whatever he could to keep her calm, or else she might put herself under even more stress than the situation itself had given her. In the morning, she wouldn't remember the tone of his words...she'd remember that someone was there to help. At least, he hoped so.

Tsunade turned and grabbed him, pulling him into a tight hug and crying on his shoulder again. Arashi held her and patted her back, talking lightly and encouraging her. "I'm proud of you, Tsunade...you faced your fear...you did great." He could feel the tears soak into his shirt as she cried and cried...

He stuck with her for another 10 minutes, then decided it wasn't a good idea to stay in the women's bathroom for too long. Peeping back into the hallway, he noticed a little black-haired girl looking at all the blood in the hallway. She was only about 8, and she was nursing a pretty ugly scrape on her right forearm...she'd probably been sent over to get it looked at. Arashi waved her over.

The little girl stared at him. "You're in the girls' restroom, sir."

Arashi shook that off. "What's your name, little one?"

She looked at him closely...suspiciously. "My name's Shizune."

"Shizune, that's a pretty bad scrape you've got there...let me fix you up." He took a step out of the door, but then turned and looked back into the bathroom, and then back out to the girl. "Actually...could you do me a favor first?"

Shizune nodded.

"Good. I need you to talk to my friend for a bit while I clean up that mess on the floor. Someone was seriously hurt, and my friend can't stand the sight of blood right now. But I don't want to leave her in there by herself...would you help me?"

Shizune's cheeks reddened a little bit, but she took a deep breath and nodded. "Sure sir."

"Thank you very much, Shizune." He patted her head lightly. "I'll be sure the Hokage knows you've taken on this D-rank mission for me."

They traded places, and Shizune looked into the bathroom. Against the wall near the door was a tall woman. She was on her knees, and her hair was all over her head. Her eyes were red and puffy from what had probably been hours of crying. Her hands were twitching, and the little girl was touched with compassion. Shizune walked up to the lady and tapped her shoulder, and the lady looked up slowly.

"Why are you crying, ma'am?"

Shizune frowned when the woman turned away and continued crying, then she presented her hand to the woman. "My name's Shizune. What's yours?"

The innocence of a child knew no bounds, sometimes. Tsunade looked to the hand extended before her, and her eyes went wide.

Shizune's mind flipped into overdrive, and she quickly and sheepishly switched the hand she'd presented to the scared woman so that there wasn't a big scraped arm in her face. "It was an honest mistake..."

* * *

Arashi quickly got a messenger to go to the house of the medical ninja who normally took the night shift at Konoha's med center. It was obvious he was going to need to come in early today...Tsunade wouldn't be going back to work for quite a while.

* * *

Time passed. Quicker for some than others, but it passed. 

For Densetsu no Jiraiya, it was slower than most. He had the most horrible dream. He had a dream that he was dead...and that Tsunade was crying hysterically at his funeral. Wailing like a newlywed whose husband was murdered on the honeymoon. In this out of body experience, of course, Jiraiya had no control of his voice, and could only silently watch. The funeral lasted for hours...for what seemed like days, and throughout the entire thing, she lay her head on top the coffin and cried. It was the saddest thing he could imagine. And he was pretty sure it was driving him crazy. As the funeral went on, his frustration grew, and the entire world seemed to compress and decompress...compress and decompress...as if it were a heart beating...

Not too long later the pain registered, and he realized it was his head throbbing. He apparently had regained consciousness.

He felt more tired than he had felt in years, but something made him suspect it wasn't for lack of sleep, but for too much of it. Jiraiya took a deep breath, but he didn't budge. His head was still throbbing too much for that. He sniffed the air lightly. _Definitely the medical center, not Fire Country Hospital_. This place didn't smell...processed enough to be the "professional" hospital.

Slowly, memory came back to Jiraiya about what exactly had happened to put him in this bed. His hands shifted to his right thigh, and he felt the thick bandages. _There's a lot more bandages here than I expected...Orochimaru must've gotten a better chunk of my leg than I thought. _A voice interrupted his silent musing, and he quickly adjusted to the first sound his ears had heard.

"So the dead has awoken..."

The voice came from the right. Jiraiya opened his eyes and looked to his right and saw Arashi, looking out of the window, apparently watching the sun rise. "It appears so." The throbbing didn't go away, but it was weaker than before, and he would tolerate it. "How long..."

"Three days. You lost a lot of blood..." Arashi paused, then spoke again. "What the heck happened out there? You're the only witness or participant we've got..."

There was a time when Jiraiya would have joked around here...but it wasn't today. "We fought. I lost." Jiraiya felt cold saying it like that, but there was no reason to make any more of a report than that.

A sigh echoed through the room lightly, but only because the room was quiet and live. "Fair enough. That battle was your business."

Jiraiya made a connection he hadn't considered, and slowly shifted toward the window and Arashi's rear. Arashi was wearing his red Hokage cape, and the white flames at the bottom of the cape seemed to dance in the wind of the open window. He had thought Sarutobi had sent the reinforcements, but now he had second thoughts. "Arashi, Did you send the ANBU?"

Arashi remained still. That question had an obvious answer. "Were they any help?"

Jiraiya paused and contemplated the way things had gone...

* * *

"**Jiraiya, you brought reinforcements?**" _You spurred Sarutobi to action? Have I underestimated you?_

Jiraiya's mouth dropped open slightly, and he turned back toward the forest. Based off the sounds in the distance (the attempts to be silently sneaky), there was at least a squad of ANBU approaching. Probably more. _**Oh no...this could get bad.** _"No, I came alone, Orochimaru..." _**Who the hell did this?** _Jiraiya turned back towards his old ally...

Orochimaru's eyes burned with rage and anger. "**_You..._**"

"Orochimaru..." Jiraiya took a careful step forward...

* * *

It'd be best if Jiraiya withheld his full thoughts on what a great idea sending the ANBU without talking with him first had been. No reason to discourage a heart-felt gesture. "They took care of the forest fire...and they saved my life by getting me here." _That _was all he'd say on the matter.

Arashi looked down to the windowsill. "I should have gone myself to help...things might have gone better then."

Jiraiya shook his head. The boy was always getting down on himself. "Or, you could be dead and _I _could be Hokage..."

Both of them chuckled at that. Not a chance of that happening...they'd put Anko in charge before Jiraiya would allow himself to get the position.

Jiraiya looked down and began to fiddle with his bandages again. He wasn't feeling good enough to get up just yet, so he'd sit tight and let his brain wander. Suddenly, he thought of something. "Where is Tsunade?" _She would have known when I was going to wake up, I'd imagine. _"I figured she'd have come in and killed me for nearly dying by now."

Arashi stiffened up for a moment, then sighed. "I don't know."

Jiraiya looked Arashi's way. "You're joking, right?"

Arashi shook his head and spoke. "No, I'm not joking...she stole out of the city a couple of days ago suddenly. One day she was saving..." Arashi considered what he knew thus far, and decided against finishing that sentence that way. "She was saving lives, but her fear of blood returned...and the next day she was gone." A palpable sense of failure washed over Arashi as he considered the situation again, but he knew he had done all he could. He only wished he had recognized little Shizune for who she was earlier. "She took Dan's niece with her...I never should have let that girl into that bathroom."

Jiraiya remained silent for a moment...there was more to this than was being said. Tsunade had two real fears...large amounts of blood meant death, and that was what she was truly afraid of...but the death of her close friends fit into an entirely different category for her. Her life as a teenager had been filled with death, but what really hurt her were the deaths of her younger brother and the man she wished to marry. Tsunade had worked through her fear of blood...heck, he had helped her work through it. She was still a medical ninja **because **she'd worked through it. And yet, somehow it came back suddenly...enough for her to not only retire, but **run from the village**? What had happened to cause such a relapse? Jiraiya looked down to his own thigh in thought, and the dream from earlier crossed his mind. _Wait a minute...did she operate on..._

_What did Arashi say? "You lost a lot of blood..."_

He cut that line of thought as solidly as he could. _Nothing good will come of thinking like that. Whether she considers me that way doesn't merit thought here. _Jiraiya rubbed his thigh for a moment. _There's too much else to think about._

Losing Orochimaru already meant that Konoha would never be the peaceful place it once was again...at least not until after his elimination. But, losing Tsunade hurt a lot more in Jiraiya's mind. As far as Jiraiya could tell, she was the closest of the three to mimicking the heart of the third Hokage for his people, and it was clear looking into her eyes that she cared for them. If his former experiences with her and blood were any guide, then seeing her escape the city in a mad panic would not have been good for anyone's morale. Add to that the feeling of defeat a soldier gets when a doctor dies or runs and it was probably the worst thing that could have happened. The shinobi would feel as if injuries and death were more permanent now...and the threat of Orochimaru looming over the horizon would seem all the more close.

Jiraiya sighed. _The five sennin of Konoha are down to two...master and apprentice._ Jiraiya looked ahead in an attempt to see what his role should be...but as hard as he tried, he kept looking back. It was an odd thing at age 30...but he had done everything he wanted to do...and it had all been stripped of meaning by the last week. Now, there was a building drive within him to make things right. Nothing else mattered.

He sat up suddenly, grunting and ignoring the dizziness that the quick movement produced, and resting his head on the headboard of the bed. "Well...I suppose I should go too."

Arashi visibly tensed up, and quickly turned to face his sensei. "**What**?" There was more than a little bit of indignance contained in that word, Jiraiya noticed.

Jiraiya lightly massaged the tense muscles of his forehead, attempting to lessen the pain. "All my friends are gone...my team is gone...there's nothing here for me anymore."

"You're kidding me." Arashi's eyes expressed his hurt.

Jiraiya solemnly shook his head, and looked Arashi directly in those pained eyes. Part of him understood Arashi's predicament. _Iknow what you mean, Arashi...and yes, you count. _"Arashi, you're all I've got left, and you're grown up now. I've taught you everything I know, and you've used it. I'm proud of you...but I won't be much of a help to you here. I can't imagine the burden you bear as Hokage, and I don't know how to help with that. It's not that I don't want to...but what good can I do in these walls anymore?"

Jiraiya slipped his legs out of the bed and onto the floor, stood and walked over to the window of the hospital. His window had a good view of the Central Command Office where Arashi would normally be working. "My only hope of helping is to eliminate the wild cards from your reign."

Arashi rested his hands on the windowsill and continued to stare at the office building. Something in him knew that Jiraiya's mind was made up, but he couldn't help but try to stop him. "Jiraiya..." Arashi turned to face him. "Orochimaru is gone...we should worry about what's here. It's not worth it to commit resources like you toward finding him..."

"That's not what I was suggesting at all." Jiraiya found that his face was locked in an eternal frown, his prominent jaw made him look all the more intense. "Orochimaru is a brilliant man, and he has had the advantage of time to this point. He knew it would be a while before I got back up, so he could move carefully and cover all his tracks." _And bathe, _Jiraiya thought. "Considering we nearly killed each other three days ago, it's unlikely I'll find him again until he's fully prepared to attack Konoha...he won't let me get lucky.."

Arashi remained silent and attentive.

"I can't stop him, but I have to try. If Orochimaru knows I am out there, actively searching for him and making contacts within every country, he'll have to be all the more careful with how he does things. That will slow him down, and any moment that buys Konoha to prepare for himis worth it." Jiraiya turned and faced Arashi. "If he had an assault prepared today, I wonder if we'd be ready, Arashi."

Arashi had wondered the same thing himself not too long ago, and could not fault Jiraiya on that.

Jiraiya continued. "But I have faith that you'll _**get**_ people ready. I'm going to buy you time."

Arashi took a deep breath before speaking. "I can't believe that the Legendary Sannin of Konoha are all leaving..."

Jiraiya frowned. "The Sannin are _finished_, whether I stay or not. I'm nothing more than an old soldier now. I'm little good to you alone."

"You could teach a team..."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "You think _that _would do more good than _slowing Orochimaru_?"

For the first time, Arashi really considered the relationship he had with his sensei. Yes, he'd been the student, but now he outranked his teacher. It was quite possible that if he felt strongly about this, he could pull rank on Jiraiya and Jiraiya might listen. But, that wasn't the way Arashi did things...and he suspected Jiraiya wouldn't listen. Besides, if Jiraiya felt so strongly, he'd best follow his heart.

Jiraiya chuckled emptily. "I had enough trouble training you...I wouldn't want a whole team of rugrats if I could help it." He frowned as he made the effort to turn around and walk back to the bed. "Mindful, I'm not gone yet...I'll give this leg two more days to rest. Then I'm out the door."

Arashi frowned and bit his lip lightly. As he thought, Jiraiya already had his mind made up. The "discussion" was over. Arashi pushed the frustration building within him back. This man had done too much for Arashi in the past for him to go off the deep end.

Jiraiya slipped back under the covers. It was obvious that his old student wasn't very happy with him right now, but this was necessary. Jiraiya spoke again. "And as much as I hate to say it...don't expect me back too often. This type of work is going to take secrecy...and time. I'm traveling all across the known shinobi world. I won't have too much time to come back and make reports. But I'll make sure you know when the attack is going to happen...somehow." He fought off the wooziness he was feeling a bit...obviously he wasn't recovered entirely yet.

Arashi nodded and helped his instructor tuck back in. He gave Jiraiya as warm a smile as he could muster, considering the situation. "Rest now, Jiraiya...we've all got long days ahead of us, it would seem. I'll see you tomorrow." Arashi waved behind him as he walked out of the hospital room to get started on his day.

Jiraiya sighed, watching the big kid leave. _I didn't tell you the real reason I'm leaving...you wouldn't grow while I'm still here. _Jiraiya considered his past experiences with the boy he'd pretty much raised as his son. _You'd depend on me...and I'd end up co-Hokage in some fashion. That's not the way it's meant to be. A child never grows as long as his father is coaching him through every step. And it's time for you to realize just how strong you are...how completely your training has prepared you for this._

It was the truth, but it didn't make it easier for either of them. A tear flowed from Jiraiya's eye as he considered how badly the last few events had changed everything. _This Konohagakure is no longer my home. The Sannin are finished. This is **your** home, Arashi...you will defend it best. And I'll leave it to you._

_

* * *

_As Arashi returned to his office, he fought back the anger that threatened to make him scream aloud. Logically, he knew that everyone had their reasons. Saru-dono was sick with grief. Tsunade's phobia would be hard to deal with within the walls of the village, especially as a legendary medical ninja. Jiraiya was working for the greater good. But no matter what he tried to do to convince his mind, in his heart he just felt...**_abandoned_.**

Deep within him, his heart began to beat harder...faster...and he had no idea why. It didn't have any thing to do with the stairs he was climbing, he suspected.

"Well, Konoha...we've seen the sun rise once more..."

For the first time in a long time, he pessimistically wondered if they'd all live to see it set.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**

* * *

I seem to write well in streaks...I cranked out a one shot earlier with many of the same characters, and just kept moving to get this. This'll probably be the last thing I do at least until the weekend...I need to learn about entropy soon for my thermo homework, so I'll focus on that the next few days. Also, this is going to get held up for a bit because I need to get one more chapter of V&H out before the next part of this will make total sense. 

(Also, for those who need to know, after rereading ff's rules, I've kicked the fic up to teen rating. The coarse language is probably strong enough to warrant that, and the blood drama from the last ep certainly is. It's fitting anyway, because the second half of the fic is a bit more mature anyway.)

This fic's become way bigger of a deal than I'd ever imagined it could, and I just want to thank all the readers and reviewers. I hope everyone's enjoying the ride thus far, and I encourage you to keep reading, 'cuz I've got some really fun stuff planned for this fic in the later chapters. As always, reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated!

(If you have questions ask them as well...I try to get as prompt a response back as possible, and normally reply within a day However...if you've got questions you want to discuss or think other people are curious about, I'd prefer you post them to my forum. I'll take either though, as long as you ask!)


	10. Interlude: Snake Hunting

_Just a little something else for your viewing pleasure while I complete the 4th chapter..._

* * *

Dawn was coming soon, and with it would come danger. 

Quickened footsteps could be heard in the forest outside Konoha, but no one paid them any heed. The ninjas at the gates of the famous village kept their eyes and ears open, but the first and only suspicious sound of their early morning shift quickly glided away from their ears, fading into the distance as quickly as it had appeared.

Had it come from within the city? The two guards scanned each other's eyes for knowledge, and found nothing but surprise. Shrugs followed, and thought was postponed until later. Their purpose was to guard entrance to the Leaf village...not to stop cats from escaping their owners. Some genin would find it later. It would take a day for them to find out it wasn't a cat.

Meanwhile, a small 12-year-old girl shifted to a stop and turned around to face the village. Her black hair tossed about her head from her momentum change, and the girl grunted as her pack attempted to toss likewise. As she adjusted her pack, she took a deep breath and calmed her panicked heart. She'd need to hide a few more times if she was going to escape, and this much adrenaline wasn't going to help. Now that she was clear of the walls of Konoha, she slipped off her chuunin vest and her forehead protector and hid them in the bush. It would be easier to travel if no one recognized her for a shinobi. The girl quietly wiped the sweat that had accumulated on her brow, and attempted to ignore the apprehension that was trying to freeze her movement.

Silently, the chuunin said her final goodbye to the village that had raised her and moved onward before fear could overtake her.

**It was time to follow her sensei.**

_**

* * *

**_

**_Yondaime: Strength of a Nation  
_****Chapter 4: A Man with Weaknesses**

_Interlude: Snake Hunting_

* * *

"She's _wandering_, I tell you..." A deep voice echoed within the hall,slowly drifting out of the hall and towards her. 

"How can you be so sure?" Another voice, this one much calmer and light. Both voices were approaching quickly from behind.

"I can't picture that a little girl would weave such a crazy path to something she knew the whereabouts of. It's a waste of her time. She'd be better off covering her tracks and taking a more direct path to...to something."

Fingers drummed on a desk impatiently. The conversation happening behind Uchiha Sazuka was one she had much experience with. She'd argued the same thing silently to herself the day before. But she'd done so silently...not interrupting other people's work. She was nearing the completion of her night shift; one more report to file for the night's cases and she would be done. But it was getting hard to concentrate...

She had to admit, this was the oddest case they'd seen in a long time. It had been ages since a missing ninja report had been made on someone so young as Mitarashi Anko. And it had been even longer since a shinobi had purposefully left the village on their own without warning. This case combined the two rarest events to be found in a Konoha investigation into one tight, confusing package.

The fact that the girl was gone from the city (thus removing the case from Konoha police jurisdiction and into the ANBU's) had not stopped the speculation among the cops. Everyone had their own opinions on what the girl was doing. Had she broken down and quit being a ninja? Or was she hoping to reunite with her old master? Many thought that the weapons, forehead protector, and chuunin vest she left behind gave the answer...she had quit. Sazuka was not so certain.

Finally, Sazuka gave in and turned her chair around to face the two off-duty police that were behind her. "You're forgetting that this isn't your _ordinary_ 12-year-old." Something within her grimaced at her choice of words. Ordinary wasn't a good word. No shinobi was ordinary. "This shinobi is even more extraordinary than normal...this is Orochimaru's student we are talking about. She probably knew she wouldn't be able to cover her tracks effectively against ANBU and hunter-nin, and decided to weave to confuse her pursuers."

One of the folks glanced Sazuka's way and frowned. She'd jumped in opposing his argument, and he got a bit angry in his response. "I'm telling you, this girl has absolutely no idea where she's going!" He balled a fist for a moment, and Sazuka watched him carefully until he seemed to get himself under control again.

Once he was no longer in a yelling mood, Sazuka replied. "At first glance, she does seem to be wandering...but I doubt she would have tried something so drastic as to leave Konoha with no clue of whether it would work. She has to know...or at least suspect something." Sazuka silently wished the case were still in her jurisdiction. The ANBU were good with criminals, but this girl was not one. Anko's style of mental maneuvering was closer to Sazuka's own than an S-ranked criminal's...and approaching her like an S-ranked criminal would only lead to so much caution that she'd never be located.

The other man in the conversation turned to face Sazuka. "Do you think she had some previous knowledge that Orochimaru was leaving...perhaps she knows where he was going?"

Sazuka shook her head. "Considering Jiraiya found him with a 6 hour handicap, I doubt Orochimaru knew himself where he was going. This was all quite hasty...I doubt Orochimaru _expected _to be caught." But, it was possible that Anko knew enough about Orochimaru's nature to guess where he'd go...that possibility seemed unlikely to Sazuka, however. Especially when she considered the way the girl was weaving through the forest like a fly evading a swatter.

The angered fellow spoke again. "How does she think she's going to find Orochimaru? He's been on the loose for a week..." There was a bit of doubt in his voice, as if he was considering what the others had said but was still quite skeptical.

Sazuka shook her head and noted the conclusion of the conversation she'd had in her own mind the day before. Reaching for a coffee cup on her desk, she volunteered the conclusion her mind had offered her. "You're right. She won't. But that's not her goal." Sazuka turned back to her computer and quickly typed up the rest of the report. Logging off, she grabbed her coffee cup and rose from her seat, passing the two surprised debaters.

"She's actually hoping _he'll _find _her_. She's just stalling his enemies...and making as much noise as she can."

* * *

Uchiha Sazuka was quite gifted in her ability to understand the minds of others, and it made her a perfect addition to the police force. She was a detective, a battle-hardened veteran of the ANBU who had turned her instincts away from the missions of the battlefield and toward the mission of solving crimes. But with that ability to understand others' minds came a mind that few others understood. A dissonant note in the music of the police department's work, Sazuka often went against the grain on hunches. Without waiting for authorization from the chief or an elder, she would interrogate, investigate, and even instigate. It was a testament to her ability to read people that nearly all of these cases were successfully solved due to her efforts. It was a testament to her battle prowess that she was not dead after the ones that had gone wrong. 

This was one of those cases...a case where her hunch had proven so strong it was impossible for her to ignore. The Mitarashi girl was waiting for Orochimaru to find her...and using the ANBU and rumors floating through Fire Country to alert him to her presence. He would know what to do to get her out, even when she didn't. Sazuka had no experience with Orochimaru, but she honestly had to wonder if he would come to the girl's aid. Was she precious enough to him for him to weave a path so close to the Leaf again? She wondered if the same thought had occurred to Anko yet. _Blind faith is dangerous, little girl..._

Sazuka's feet had found their way to the outer gates of Konoha without conscious thought, and she knew then what she was going to do. _My case or not, _she thought, _I can speed things up by finding the girl. _The ANBU were hunting Orochimaru and treading carefully, Sazuka expected. Sazuka would do the exact opposite, her gung-ho instincts declared. _I have the night off...I'll find this girl._

Biting her thumb, Sazuka formed five quick hand seals and brought forth a large wolf, about half her height. Petting the creature's grey fur lightly, Sazuka smiled. Kora had been her personal ally for 3 years now, locating murder weapons and murderers alike. Earlier, she'd grabbed the forehead protector of Anko, wrapped tightly in a plastic bag and labeled as evidence, and wrung it out a bit with her hand. She'd catch hell for it later, but for now, she volunteered that sweaty palm to the wolf. "Kora...get the scent from this sweat." As the wolf's nose approached her hand, she couldn't help but feel a bit of confidence. _This'll be over in no time._

There were many advantages to having a wolf as opposed to a dog track for you...the main one being that wolves were predatory, and would always take the best track to a target. They were less easily distracted. The downfall was noted 5 hours later, when Kora suddenly howled and sprinted off. Wolves were also aggressive...and if Sazuka didn't move soon, Anko might be dinner.

She had little to worry about in that department, however. A mile later, she found her wolf, its fur charred on the right side, and its mouth bloody from a large gash in its neck. She remained in the trees, not coming down to check it for vital signs. It was definitely dead, or else whoever had killed it would have finished the job. Immediately, she knew this wasn't the work of a little girl, chuunin or not.

**"_Anko...you were careless to allow yourself to be followed like this..."_**

Sazuka's ears perked up as she heard the edgy voice not too far away. Apparently, she'd called it properly. Orochimaru had come for Anko. Searching in every direction for them, she eventually saw them both casually walking away.

"I've never seen a wolf in Konoha before..."

Orochimaru glanced over to his student. "Surely, you've heard of kuchiyose..."

Anko answered glaringly, "How would I, if _you _don't tell me..."

Orochimaru chuckled lightly and whipped out a kunai. "Right, you are..." He tossed her a kunai. "Cut yourself."

Sazuka was slightly amused by his teaching methods, but business needed to be handled soon. The detective had bit off more than she could chew, she suspected. With a shutting of the eyes and a moment of concentration, Uchiha Sazuka activated her Sharingan, and opened her eyes.

"What?" She covered her mouth quickly, realizing she'd said that aloud. Still yet, it made no sense...there he was, clear as day with Anko...but neither had any chakra flowing through them. _Genjutsu._

Suddenly, her body stiffened as the world flickered in and out in front of her eyes, and she was back. With a scowl of intensity, she turned around and faced the _real _Orochimaru, who was approaching her position in the treetop from behind. He smirked and licked his lips, then spoke as politely as possible to Anko. "This Jounin has talent, it would seem. She escaped the illusion in little under 10 seconds..."

Sazuka glared at him. It was as if he were belittling the whole situation just by being polite. It felt like he just didn't care who she was at all.

A flicker of recognition crossed Orochimaru's face as he looked into her eyes. "Ah...I see...you are Uchiha. Those eyes...the Sharingan...I see now why you managed to escape."

It had been a good jutsu, she would admit. But, he seemed a bit too impressed. Orochimaru motioned to Anko, and she leaped down and out of the way. The Jounin felt the urge to say something, and quickly and authoritatively spoke. "You're both under arrest by the Konoha Police."

Orochimaru ignored her comment, and continued. "I have never actually faced a Sharingan-user in combat...I have only heard of them." He looked her directly in the eyes, and a smile crossed his face. "Forgive me if I refuse to be arrested without a battle...I do not believe you can defeat me, but I'm curious as to what you _can _do..."

Sazuka found herself entirely off step...the calm with which this man spoke...it was as if nothing disturbed him. He hadn't even considered the possibility that he could lose, she decided. _I'll have to fix that for him._

Orochimaru caught the look of defiance in her eyes and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Come now, you can't believe this will go well...you must know you stand no chance. You should have brought backup." He noted that her eyes were not the same...one pupil had three small tails extending from it, while the other had two. This was curious to him...did that mean there were different levels of mastery? "I will have fun testing your ab--"

With no warning at all, Sazuka dashed forward, and Orochimaru gasped at her speed. Quickly, he raised a kunai and blocked her sword strike, but she released the weapon at the last moment. She drew her hand back to her holster, and threw a heavy peppering of shruiken at his chest in one quick motion. Orochimaru felt the blades puncture his gut and yelled in pain. _What? This can't be! What amazing speed..._

Orochimaru allowed the force to spin his body around, and quickly leaped from the trees down to the forest floor. He twisted his legs in midair, hooking them around the kunai that was thrown his way as he fell. Glancing upward, he saw that she was diving down toward him. _Who the hell is she?_

As he landed on the ground, he sprinted and rattled off hand seals as if it were second nature. Pain pierced his midsection and dissolved his concentration for a moment, and he had to begin anew. _Absurd! One attack pierced me this deeply..._

It was for this reason that he wanted immortality. Foolish, unexpected battles like this should not be allowed to end the life of a man so powerful. It just seemed like such a waste to him. But he knew that if he didn't turn this around quite quickly, that was exactly what would happen. Orochimaru glanced back behind him and noted that she was gaining on him. Timing it perfectly, he waited until she was in range and turned towards her...

...only to be entirely overpowered by a shooting pain in his ribs. The split second of incapacitating pain was enough to strike fear in Orochimaru's heart. Sazuka dashed forward toward him, aiming her sword for a piercing strike to the heart...and all Orochimaru could feel was pain. Vivid pain.

Too vivid for one who had experienced true pain and grown used to it like a shinobi. Orochimaru's mind combatted the logic that said he should hurt, and all of a sudden he didn't. Blinking, he found himself looking directly into the girl's eyes again. But on second glance, he realized he was still in the treetop. With a deep breath, Orochimaru closed his eyes and smiled. He could still feel a throbbing in his ribs, but not nearly as badly as before. Reaching for them and checking the skin's sensitivity, Orochimaru parted his lips to speak. "I have to say I am impressed. That's only the third genjutsu I have ever fallen for...and I believe it's because I _wanted _you to be that good that it worked..."

Sazuka was impressed too. Such a genjutsu against such a willfull target had taken much mental strength...it was hard for her to even take a step forward while she had been performing it. The hope that she could walk up and stab him in the neck while doing so had been a bit of a long shot in the first place. Still, she had to be impressed with someone who could shake off an illusion so quickly afterwards. Most folks would have fallen from the tree in pain...he hadn't moved anything more than a hand yet.

Orochimaru surprised her by looking her directly in the eyes again. "I hope that wasn't your best move, because you won't fool me with another genjutsu, no matter how skilled you are."

No more words were needed. The fight began genuinely, and Orochimaru was all the more surprised for the result. Once again without warning, Sazuka dashed forward and drew a sword with precision and speed. Orochimaru noted that she was nearly as fast as her illusion, and quickly vaulted himself out of the treetops and to the ground. He would not allow the same thing to happen that had happened in the illusion.

Instead of following him, Sazuka quickly formed a tiger seal and began shooting fireballs after him. She watched as he evaded them in midair, throwing his weight to either side to change his trajectory just enough.

Sazuka smirked. This was going to be fun.

* * *

Anko watched the dance of death from a safe distance, keeping an eye on both competitors. The smirk on her master's face suggested that he was only toying with her...attempting to see what she was capable of before he killed her. This wasn't surprising; Anko had never actually seen a match where Orochimaru had become serious. He was just too good. 

Using his snake jutsus like the expert he was, Orochimaru quickly pinned the girl onto the defensive, and Anko watched as Sazuka's eyes searched for an opening. The girl was good too...perhaps she'd see something unexpected.

Suddenly, she did. The Konoha cop reached a hand back and performed a couple of seals that were familiar to Anko. "Hidden Snake Hands!"

Anko had only seen Orochimaru use that jutsu, and in fact, she had only seen him do it just before...

* * *

This was just too good. _The Sharingan can copy techniques? _Apparently, his information on the Sharingan was incomplete. He had thought it was simply an eye technique for seeing through genjutsu and ninjutsu, and honing attention to details...but this was beautiful! 

Even as the girl grabbed him within her snake projectiles, Orochimaru found himself smiling in excitement. _This! This is what I need to make my dream a reality...yes..._

This girl's body...she would be the perfect host for him.

* * *

_What on earth is he doing?_

Anko continued to watch the fight, and noted that Orochimaru was toying around with her far longer than he normally would have. Didn't he realize what was happening?

This woman, whoever she was, had slowly begun to pick up on Orochimaru's jutsu and style. She seemed to be developing her own counterstyle to his moves. Now, the fight was dead even, and Anko felt anxious. _The longer this goes, the more she'll get in his head...this isn't good. _As Anko watched, Sazuka gained the advantage, surprising Orochimaru with a barrage of powerful techniques...Anko ducked away as fire blazed through the area.

When she peeped her head back out, she found herself amazed.

Orochimaru was on the defensive, and the woman was pressing her advantage...her blade to his kunai...

* * *

Uchiha Sazuka had just performed the battle of her life...it wasn't over yet, but she was quite confident in her advantage. Orochimaru was using every bit of force his body could muster to keep her sword from reaching his head, and his strength was slowly giving way. Her sharingan glowed with focus as she watched him carefully, waiting for the moment when he'd make a break for it. 

One of his hands released from the kunai, and quickly began forming hand seals. Sazuka caught the motion and quickly released her weapon, reaching back for her holster as she had in the illusion. She saw Orochimaru's eyes widen as he realized his mistake. He'd forgotten her speed, and he'd pay for it.

The shruikens peppered his midsection once again, and Sazuka swepther right hand down and caught the handle of her sword. Spinning with her body's momentum, she pulled a full 360 and prepared to sweep the sword across Orochimaru's neck, decapitating him...

* * *

_Sqwirk!_

**"OROCHIMARU!"**

A kunai struck skin, and pressed through into the abdomen of Uchiha Sazuka. Her arm froze at Orochimaru's neck, and a moment later she collapsed in a heap on the ground. Mitarashi Anko stood over her body, her eyes wide, her lungs doing overdrive. She made it.

**_"Kukuku...That was quite unneccessary, Anko."_**

Anko turned toward the voice and saw Orochimaru, unharmed. He pointed a finger behind her, and she turned back around to face a pile of disgusting wax, peppered with shruikens.

It seemed Orochimaru was just a bit too good at kawarimi. A frown crossed his face as he considered what had happened. "You are far too brash, Anko. You could have at least checked to be sure it was me before going in there."

Anko bristled at his chiding comments. "I was trying to save your life."

"If there's ever a situation where I need you to save my life," Orochimaru spat out, "then I will alert you ahead of time. You were told to stay out."

Anko felt a bit of fear come over her...she had learned not to disobey her sensei quite early on, and she hoped he wouldn't do anything rash...

Orochimaru weighed out the day's events. On one hand, he'd just lost the perfect plaything...a prideful ninja whose body was well worth whatever he'd have to do to get it. But, he'd learned a lot about the Sharingan. In the span of ten minutes, he'd evolved that Uchiha from a basically good fighter to a supremely dangerous threat, even to himself. Her ability to copy techniques intrigued him. In the hands of one like himself, it would be unstoppable, and he'd have a great chance at actually succeeding in his bold ambitions...

And best of all, there were more where this one came from...perhaps even _more _talented Uchiha existed.

Not to mention, he'd picked up his previousstudent today. Anko, while still rough around the edges and too stupid, had proved her loyalty today by killing a Konoha Jounin. True, the Jounin wasn't actually dead, but she may as well have been, for all the bleeding. With no medical ninjas around, it was almost guaranteed that she would die. Anko hadn't even shown a moment of remorse after killing the woman...perhaps she had some promise after all.

Orochimaru concluded that the gains of the day had greatly outweighed the losses, and decided against punishing Anko. Remaining silent for a moment, he then turned and began to walk away from Anko. If a single Uchiha could track Anko's scent all the way to here, the ANBU would not be too far behind.

"Come, Anko. We are leaving."

* * *

Just a little something extra that popped into my head while I was working on the next real chapter of SoaN. I'll probably get the last part of Chapter 4 out by this Friday, but no guarantees... 

I know the fight scene's a bit rushed and not that detailed, but it was already running a bit long for my liking(to say it's just a side thing), and I didn't want to spend hours writing a full fight scene between Orochimaru and some random OC of mine who loses...


	11. Chapter 4 Part 4: Turning the Page

**_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation  
_Chapter 4: A Man with Weaknesses**

_Part 4: Turning the Page_

* * *

Arashi was beginning to wonder if he'd be the next person to have a nervous breakdown. 

When he'd found out yesterday morning that she was missing, he'd had a fit. When they'd realized how much of her personal belongings were gone too, he'd come close to pulling his hair out. When they'd found her chuunin vest and forehead protector the next day, he'd wanted to cry.

And when he'd talked to those two ANBU who had let her run, thinking she was a cat...

Solemnly, Arashi began to think that soon, he'd either become numb to it all or go insane. He couldn't decide which option he feared more.

Reaching into the pile of outgoing paperwork from the previous day, he pulled out the most recent roster he had. Ink stained his hand as he examined his notes on the bottom of the page. His new team list hasn't even dried completely, and it was already out of date. Arashi grabbed a pen and released an exasperated sigh. His pen slowly and reluctantly crossed the surface of the paper, striking Mitarashi Anko's name from the Konoha roster. Orochimaru's student, it seemed, had refused to be anyone else's.

So now he needed to _undo_ last week's restructuring of the teams. Arashi had seen Anko as a student without an instructor, and had debated about whether to send her into the ANBU or structure a team for her to work and grow with. Given what he'd learned about Anko and her social nature, Arashi had decided to take the time and make her a team. Now, he'd need to inform the elders and Jounin that he was taking that back. A nagging voice within his mind added that he'd probably forget to.

Add to that the fact that there were diplomats from theRock and Cloud downstairs, and Arashi had a lot on his mind. Arashi glanced over to their papers, lying on the far corner of his desk, and frowned. They were here on paper to discuss the location of next year's chuunin exams. Sarutobi had worked hard year after year to convince the 5 great shinobi villages to stage their chuunin exams together, and his dream of having the exams settle what wars had attempted to settle previously was close to coming true this time. He'd also convinced the others to have this joint exam in Konoha, though not without a bit of debate. Eventually, it was decided that Konoha was the safest place to gather the children of the great countries...it had the strongest defenders, and few would dare attempt to attack them.

It was possible that these diplomats were indeed here to debate that location; Arashi suspected an alterior motive. They were here to pick up information...to discover if the rumors they'd heard were true. Had the Sannin and the Third Hokage actually left the Leaf? If the Third didn't show himself to discuss the chuunin exams, they'd be fairly certain he was gone. And they could pick up the truth about the Sannin on the street easily.

Arashi didn't like the situation at all. Under the pretense of protecting their children's security, there was no doubt these diplomats would probe and question him about every detail of what had happened with the Sannin and the Third. A grim look crossed Arashi's face as he thought about it. He would rather give the chuunin exams over to another country than volunteer that info. But, wouldn't that be spitting on the Third's work? How would it sit with the elders?

Another thing was bothering Arashi, and his mind drifted toward the country's integrity. The arrival of diplomats in Konoha so soon after the mess confirmed Arashi's worst thoughts. Neither Rock nor Cloud Village was nearby, and yet word had traveled far enough in a week that they were already here asking questions. This was not the work of mere rumor. Arashi couldn't prove it yet, but he had to suspect there were spies for both Cloud and Rock in Fire Country...perhaps in Konoha itself.

Arashi sighed as he felt a headache build in his skull. This line of thought was going to kill him...

* * *

The Konoha Medical Center had been the center of much activity in the past few days. Jiraiya had been nursed back to health, and Tsunade...well...had lost hers. Today was much different. There was quiet throughout the hospital...as there was through much of Konoha itself the last few days. 

On top of the center, with her feet dangling over its side, was a young woman. Most people would dispute that with her, but she still felt young. Her age matched Sarutobi, yet his experience and knowledge trumped hers by far. The woman sighed and lay her back on the roof of the building, looking up into the bright morning sky. If Sarutobi had not been so personally affected by everything that had gone on recently, it's possible things would have worked out differently. But such speculation was pointless.

Such was her greatest lesson learned in 45 years of living: don't keep thinking about what could have been. A part of her mind boldly retorted that she only maintained that philosophy because she _could_ have been a good ninja. She ignored that claim as best she could.

_Whether that's true or not, _Utatane Koharu replied to her thoughts, _I am serving a purpose now, and that is all I can ask for._ When Sarutobi had surpassed the chuunin rank, leaving behind herself and Mitokado Homura and dissolving their team, she had lost her focus as a ninja. When he later became the Sandaime Hokage and sought them both out, offering them positions as his personal advisors, she had joyfully taken the opportunity to leave the military ranks and become a village elder. Now that he was gone, she felt the need to reaffirm her commitment to aid the new Hokage...a youth of age 16 attempting to lead a village of shinobi.

A thought drifted across her mind: Considering the amounts of death and mayhem in the life of a shinobi, it was possible that she _was_ mentally younger than he was. Instead of amusing her, this only made her sad for him. The youth of this village were being forced to grow faster than ever. As she considered the last few days events again from the position of the Fourth, she came to the realization that if there was ever a time Yondaime needed help, it was probably now. She would aid him as well as she could...after the medical center no longer needed her. Tsunade's loss had been a doubly bad one for its suddenness; she had been both the head medical specialist and the coordinator for the center.

Koharu was so lost in her thoughts that it took a moment for her to recognize that she could no longer see the sky. Instead, all she could see was…a mummy?

Koharu gasped and held back a scream as she leaped to her feet and took a few steps away from whatever was approaching her, and then something registered within her.

"Danzou?"

"Hai..."

She was amazed that she even recognized him, for the last time she'd spoken with him was far back, when they were both teenagers. It seemed his degenerative condition was getting worse, as the bandages surrounding his body would witness to. Beyond that, something about his demeanor just struck her as eerie. "You startled me..." Exhaling deeply and regaining her composure, Koharu returned to her position at the edge of the building.

"I apologize," Danzou said. "My appearance is strange enough without the extra bandages."

Koharu wasn't sure whether he was referring to his look, or the fact that he was actually showing his face in public at all. Danzou, the leader of Root, was a man who worked behind the scenes, never making a noise. Whatever shinobi were in his employ, Koharu was certain that the same would go for them. The fact that he was here meant something was up.

The woman parted her lips and spoke with politeness. "Despite your appearance, I'm sure you didn't come here to get your wounds checked up. What is on your mind?"

Danzou smirked. The woman was not much for small talk, and that suited him just fine. "I came to talk...about old times..." The stiff man walked to the edge of the building and looked downward at the people below before speaking again. "Old times, and new ones, actually..."

Koharu did not budge and continued to look into the sky. "Fire away..."

Danzou looked to Koharu for a moment, then turned and peered over the edge of the building again. "Sometimes, I think I have become too jaded to consider the future properly...and when that happens, I seek a second opinion."

Koharu remained silent, another trick she'd learned in 45 years. Let the man talk until he gave what was really on his mind away.

"You have been around as long as myself, Koharu...you have watched this village battle and bloom. What do you think the future brings?"

Koharu sighed. It was a loaded question; she should have expected as much from Danzou. With a look of thought, Koharu sat up and looked beyond the building, toward Mount Hokage. Her eyes drifted and locked upon the gigantic face of the Fourth, chiseled into the rock only a week ago...her mind had not reached the point of expecting to see a fourth face there. Searching her feelings for a moment, she realized she hadn't really considered the future much. Her mind was always dipping into the past, and she often forced it to dwell on the present, but...

"No one can anticipate the future, Danzou..."

He caught a small amount of apprehension on her voice but was unable to figure out why. She was certainly old enough...stately enough to have an important opinion. "No, of course not. But with time, they can begin to see the patterns meshing...the events that lead up to major change. I want to know if you see what I see."

Koharu remained silent, considering what he had said thus far carefully. It dawned on her suddenly that she probably wasn't being sought because of her age and experience. It was her position...her reputation that mattered in this conversation. Danzou was the type who worked behind the scenes...and she wouldn't put it past him to use her words to get his way somewhere down the line. She would need to be all the more careful in what she said. "Perhaps you should start by telling me what you see, then..."

This wasn't going as well as Danzou had hoped. It was almost as if she didn't have an opinion, but didn't want to admit it. Or perhaps she was just being very guarded about it. Either way, it was unimportant as long as she volunteered it eventually. If he had to force feed her his ideas and see if she threw up, then so be it.

"I remember Sandaime, as you do. A stubborn man, determined to see peace in this village, and to maintain the power it previously had at the same time," Danzou said while withholding the frustration from his voice. "I consider that a paradox, but that was his hope."

Koharu remained silent. This was nothing new: even when he had run for Hokage, Danzou was well known as a war advocate. And she would ignore his light insulting of her retired boss as long as it remained light and outside the subject...

Danzou quickly picked up on her lack of response and continued, "The village under his control has bloomed into a land where children take much of the responsibility...from manning the city walls to leading it entirely." The reference to the ANBU and the Yondaime Hokage was obvious, he decided. He needed not elaborate any further. "Yet," Danzou spoke, raising his voice a bit as if proclaiming a verdict, "these children are untested, no matter how much they think they are...only years of experience can give a ninja the confidence, _or lack thereof_, that leads to true decision and dedication."

The reference to Koharu's own decision to quit being a ninja was also obvious, but she did not dignify it with a response. She had to admit, Danzou had a way with pissing people off.

Danzou paused for a moment, allowing her time to absorb his previous taunt. Remembering how she had pushed the conversation's flow to a quicker pace earlier, he decided to be blunt with his question. "Do you think he was a wise choice, Koharu? Do you think he can handle what is inevitably coming?"

Koharu remained silent, letting his words sink in. _What **is** inevitably coming? Does he mean war? _Quickly, her brain did the math, and she could see his point of view. With the greatest deterrents of war, the Sannin, gone from Konoha, anything was possible. And the Third Hokage _had_ more than likely chosen Arashi over Orochimaru with plans to train him fully on the fly...during a time of peace. Was Arashi ready to lead a fight, or would he crumble under pressure? It wasn't her place to predict such a thing...she had yet to meet the boy.

"It isn't my place to say anything on the Fourth."

"But--"

"--however," Koharu interrupted, "I can say that my opinion of Konoha is different from your own. I think these kids have gone through more tests than _we _have. To do the things they've done at such an early age...Konoha's greatest heroes are 16 and 20, not 30 and 40 anymore..." Slowly, Koharu got up and walked by Danzou, stopping when she was on the opposite side of him."They may still seem like kids, but they're not."

Danzou shook his head. "They are certainly not men." The few of these that had entered Root would witness to that...heavy mental reprogramming was required for them to function to the organization's standards. What exactly that meant, no one would ever know without doing surgery on Danzou's brain.

Koharu stopped and considered what he had said. _He has a point. _The boys and girls within ANBU and throughout the Leaf were not yet men like Sarutobi had been when he took office. Many, she imagined, were still too idealistic in one way or another...blind to the way the world worked, and still not sure of their place in it. Still others were jaded the other way, she was certain...Orochimaru had been one of those, and who knew how many others there were? Yet, one thing they did have in their favor...they were far more determined to succeed...more ambitious for the Leaf than Koharu had ever been. _With the right guidance, they'd be incredible..._

Koharu turned and faced Danzou, and conviction covered her countenance. "They may not be men, but they are strong teens. They lack experience, true...but that shall change with time, naturally, if we allow it to. It is not as if we are forcing them to stand alone." As she watched the look on his face shift from curiosity to some dark emotion she couldn't read, she frowned lightly. "I have not been doing my part in the process of helping them grow, but I am certain that we can all make it through this with teamwork."

Koharu's eyes expressed light gratitude...which she suspected would go unheeded. His words had indeed had an effect on her...but she was sure he didn't intend it. Instead of making her lose faith in the youth of the Leaf, Danzou had made her want to help them as best she could. "Thank you," she said politely, "for seeking me out and asking me about this."

Danzou caught her meaning. She was telling him to drop it. He gave up on her hopeless case, and turned his face away from her warm eyes. Her carefree disposition seemed to Danzou to be a mockery of the situation's seriousness. "I still believe there were better choices for Yondaime."

Koharu didn't say a word.

Danzou got a bit edgy, perhaps even angry as he spoke. "Orochimaru would not have left if he had been given the title. He is far better prepared to lead us through a war. And there are other candidates who were not even given the time of day..."

He had given himself away fully now. Koharu retorted without a drop of emotion. "You mean, like yourself?"

Danzou was the one who remained silent this time. Koharu smiled, and then she left his side and re-entered the building.

* * *

Arashi walked into his office and lightly closed the door. The halls were quiet but his mind was not, and he wished he could shut it up. Without a sound, he slid into his chair and put his head down on the desk. 

The afternoon's conversations had gone worse than he had thought possible. The diplomats from the Rock and Cloud villages were not diplomats at all...they were thinly-veiled shinobi. They had even been brash enough to conceal weapons on their person before their meeting with Arashi. Scouts, he suspected, or perhaps even the spies that he expected were lurking in Fire Country and Konoha. Either way, it convinced him that the two villages were moving rapidly toward an attack on the Leaf.

As if that weren't bad enough, halfway through their conversation about the chuunin exams, Arashi had been interrupted by two ANBU captains demanding his immediate attention. After dealing with the public relations nightmare as best he could, Arashi left the room and took the ANBU captains down the hall, far away from the diplomacy room. Once he was able to have a private moment with them, they told him the story of Konoha detective Uchiha Sazuka, who had given her verbal report to them from the field. She reported on a run-in with Orochimaru himself, and theA NBU had memorized her story...there was no time for writing it down, for her abdomen was torn by a kunai and she was bleeding lethally. She had since died in the emergency room, they reported. He dismissed them until morning, requesting a full report then.

Returning to the "diplomats" after hearing about that was harder than anything he'd ever done. His heart was torn in so many different directions, but one in particular took over his thoughts as he talked to them. **He wanted Orochimaru's head. He wanted to go into the field and get it himself.** Considering this was something he just didn't have time (or freedom) to do right now, however, these thoughts were not expressed. He wondered if the Cloud and Rock village diplomats were aware enough to recognize the anger and frustration that began to cover his face then...

Their final words ran through his head repetitively; they had given away more than they thought.

The Cloud diplomat had risen at the close of the meeting. "If there is nothing more you have to report, then we intend go to our leader and voice concern...I personally see no reason for such an important event to be held in Konoha in its current state." He had looked over to the Stone diplomat and nodded, and the Stone diplomat had voiced his agreement.

There was only one diplomat from each country...the use of the word "_we_" suggested some collaboration, or perhaps even alliance. It was possible that Arashi was overthinking it. He had left the room, and it was possible they had enough time to talk to each other then and become friends. Yet, Arashi knew that a shinobi had to act on such hunches as his own. And Cloud's diplomat had just about said that he thought Konoha was weak now. It was valuable information to be stored away, but the true question in Arashi's mind was what exactly to do about it.

Things just weren't looking good at all...Arashi found himself wondering if the Konoha of next week would be recognizable as the same village as the Konoha of two weeks ago. Everything was happening all at once...the entire political situation was shifting faster than most eyes could follow. Doubt was all around, and it had not missed its mark in Arashi. What would become of his village in the next month? Was he strong enough to pull them through?

It was this that was on his mind when he got an unexpected visitor. A light knock on his door was followed by a harder, more authoritative pounding.

Arashi sat up a bit and grabbed the last of the day's paperwork, but he did not bother to look toward the door. He didn't need anyone else to know he was feeling this badly. "It's open..."

The door opened slowly, but Arashi heard no footsteps enter the room. Without looking up, Arashi spoke again. "Come in."

"Geez, Arashi...you look..._mean_."

Arashi considered that for a moment, and realized his face was twisted in a pretty tight scowl. Apparently he'd covered up his doubt and fear with anger. Arashi glanced up from his paperwork, fairly sure he knew who it was. Only one person he knew ever said "Geez"...

Uzumaki Narashima stood at the door, a concerned look on her face. Arashi smiled despite himself, and motioned to her. "Come on in, seriously."

Arashi watched her slowly walk into the room; he was a bit surprised by how long she spent looking at the pictures on the walls. Eventually, he diverted his eyes back to his paperwork. Maybe he could finish it early if he put his mind to it. Then, he could focus his mind on his guest fully. _Hokage first, _Arashi thought. _Friend second._

Still yet, even as he tried to focus on his paperwork, he was aware of everything else going on. He heard Nara's feet step past his desk and behind him. And he was still quite aware of the voices of doubt in his head. A moment of drifting thoughts led to him dropping the pen with which he had been working. He stooped down quickly to pick it back up, and mumbled cursingly to the random thoughts in his head. "Ugh...why won't you leave me alone..."

It was a good thing that Nara didn't understand what he said.

Arashi snatched the pen and returned to his paperwork. A moment later, Nara surprised him by plopping into one of the cushy chairs in front of his desk and lightly asking, "So...what's got you so tied in knots?"

The casual way she asked the question did not change the level of seriousness in the room one bit. Arashi ran back through his day mentally, trying to decide what details were worth discussing again. After a moment, he stated, "I've just had a rough day, that's all..."

He could feel her eyes attempting to make contact with his...to pry something from him. He refused to give her the eye contact she wanted, and he somehow felt as if he had failed some sort of test in doing so...

"You're having more than just a bad day."

Arashi frowned. "I really shouldn't discuss any of this until I talk to the elders..."

He felt that silent hint of demanded eye contact once again, and this time he honored it. The look he saw in Nara's eyes asked a question. _Do you trust me?_

"I won't tell anyone," Nara whispered. It made him feel like he was 8, trying to keep a secret...

And, just like that, he realized how futile it was to keep things away from Nara. Without hesitation, he spoke.

"We found Orochimaru today..."

* * *

Over the next five to ten minutes, Arashi let loose his frustration. He told her about the Uchiha who died at Orochimaru's hands. He told her about the "diplomats", the chuunin exams, and his lack of desire to fight for them. He told it all, with no order or holding back...he unleashed his pure stream of consciousness. 

As he poured out his frustrations, he noticed the look on Nara's face shift. What looked like concern at first seemed to shift for a moment to...disapproval was what came to mind for Arashi, but there was more to it than that. The look unsettled him, and he quickly grew quiet beneath her gaze. Something he had said...something must have come out of his mouth wrong.

Nara looked away from him for a moment, her eyes burning with intensity. Her voice, however, was slightly shaky, as if she were hurt by something he'd said. "All those things you said before...about our strength being our middle..." (AN: If you have no idea what is being referred to, read "Valor and Harmony" Chapter 4)

Arashi raised an eyebrow involuntarily. _Where's she going with this?_

Nara looked back to him, the same glaring disapproval lurking in her eye contact. "I see now...you never believed that." Her eyes seemed to search his for some clue of understanding...he felt as if she were searching for some unconscious agreement with her words.

All his face gave her was confusion.

Nara spoke again, unconvinced by his confusion. "If you honestly believed what you had said before, you wouldn't be nearly as distraught as you obviously are."

Arashi noticed as her fists began to ball, and his heart panicked. _Why is she mad? _He verbally blocked her stabs. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean, damn it!" Nara's face slipped further into contempt for Arashi, and she slammed her fists on his desk. "There's no need to lie to me too!"

His lips moved incoherently as he tried to comprehend what had just happened...and then it clicked. She'd just revealed why she was getting angry. She thought he was a liar.

Arashi's eyes reflected recognition as he put two and two together. Once, a few months before this, Nara had put his confidence to the ultimate test, placing her life on the line to see his convictions for what they really were. Now, she was beginning to think that he'd somehow put on a good face for the public, and included her in the farce. He'd put up a wall of false responses, she was thinking, but inside he was still jello.

Even though he _did _feel like jello right now, he couldn't let that thought...that look on her face stay that way. With determination and authority, he spoke. "**NO**. That's just not true. I haven't lied to you or anyone on that matter."

Arashi looked directly into Nara's rebellious, contemptuous eyes, and dared not break eye contact. Slowly, he saw her anger fade, and her eyes widened a bit in confusion as it happened. Her eyes were still accusing of him as she spoke. "If that's the case, then what is your problem?"

It really began to dawn on him that she thought he was that much of a farce...and his mind rebelled against the idea fully. "Of course I believe my own theories," Arashi yelled. "Why wouldn't I?" Emotion leaked into his voice...anger and frustration coarsing through every word. "But who else does?"

That gave Nara pause. Arashi continued. "Who among the Leaf really believes that the loss of the Sannin hasn't left us vulnerable and weak?" He returned her accusing look. "Do YOU?"

Nara's eyes reflected doubt, and she didn't give him the eye contact that the look on his face demanded from her. He dropped it, however, and continued on..."Who do you think, among our enemies, actually believes that? What good is our strength doing us?"

The point had been driven in quite well now, and Arashi dropped his anger and remained silent. The silence lasted exactly 2 minutes and 37 seconds, his mind reported.

At that point, Nara let out an exasperated sigh. The look on her face made it obvious that she had seen the reason behind his words...her anger had been replaced with something resembling depression. The look was contagious, and Arashi forced himself to stop frowning before speaking again.

"We've remained diplomatic with theRock and the Cloud, despite their _open _determination to one day be the strongest countries. Their leaders have always been more than a bit afraid to cross us in the past, and that probably has something to do with it. Now...I don't know how long hostilities will remain down, especially considering today." Arashi sighed in return and held his head, feeling his headache from earlier come back on. Something Sarutobi had said before suddenly came to mind.

* * *

_"...the peace I've tried to create my entire life is tainted now…"_

_

* * *

_

He had been speaking of Orochimaru, Arashi had thought at the time. Now, he wondered if Sarutobi hadn't seen this coming. Yes...he had to know that no matter what Orochimaru chose to do, _war was coming for Konoha._ Peace was beyond tainted. It was gone.

Arashi's reflection on the subject was interrupted by Nara. "So, we go to war," Nara said tranquilly. She made eye contact with him again, her eyes less probing this time, but still curious. "That still doesn't explain why you're having such a hard time coping..."

Arashi looked at her in surprise. She was talking about this as if it were a chess match with a toddler, as opposed to all out **shinobi war**. "Do you realize how hard this battle will be? Do you remember those scenarios I told you about before, where the Raikage and Doukage attacked one wall, while the three lords of Cloud attacked another? There's a chance that something like that could actually happen, you know..."

Nara frowned a bit and nodded. "I don't mean to downplay them at all...but we've gone to war before. I don't think that's what you are afraid of."

Arashi's entire face shifted to a thoughtful expression as he realized what she was getting at. He looked away from her and fiddled with the paperwork as he attempted to paint the picture from his own mind. "Cloud and Rock are both north of us, separated by a lake and a country without a shinobi village. It wouldn't be too difficult for them to send reinforcements and cover each other's backs. They have a very well-placed geographical alliance, complete with a supply line that we can't easily shut down since we don't have a navy. Meanwhile, our distance to each is nearly as far as the distance between them...but our path involves cutting through other villages, or taking a more roundabout route..."

Arashi noticed that Nara nodded at each detail, but remained silent and patient. Often, by now, she would have asked him to cut to the chase, but this was important enough to allow some detail discussion, he figured. He elaborated a bit more, building his point.

"Also, we're at a disadvantage because we don't intend to make the first move...that means we'll be playing from behind. Because of all this, we're going to be fighting with our backs against the wall for some time. This is the kind of battle which could easily become a war of attrition. It could go on for years before we effectively bring things into a stalemate and truce...or it could become a bloodbath for everyone involved, and we'd have to pick up the pieces of Konoha and rebuild..."

"One false move or error," Nara replied, "and kiss Konoha goodbye." Nara had apparently put two and two together about what Arashi feared. She didn't move from her position as she threw her conclusion out there. "You're afraid that the wrong decision that causes that could be your own..."

Arashi looked away from her, not wanting to see another disapproving look at this point. "Despite everything I've been through, I haven't been trained to handle this type of chaos, and I've already done a horrible job. If I keep making mistakes, could we be put in an unwinnable situation before we even get the chance to fight?"

Nara was silent, but Arashi could feel her eyes on him, and it made him uncomfortable. Shifting in his seat a bit, he continued speaking, attempting to talk away the awkwardness. "I wish Sandaime were here...I don't know how he managed this, considering the first half of his time as Hokage was a huge war. We haven't even had a war yet, and I'm already at wits' end...I don't know..."

Nara took a deep breath, and then lightly planted her hands on the end of the table and scooted up her chair. "Listen to me carefully, Arashi."

Arashi looked up and made eye contact with her. Her deep blue eyes were unwavering, focused directly on his.

"You remember when we first became Jounin, we thought they were going to give us teams to lead?"

Arashi silently nodded.

A very small smile crept onto her face as she remembered those happier times. "Both of us were scared to death of trying to train kids...we thought we'd get our whole teams killed."

Arashi smiled too. Those worries seemed pointless now...maybe these would someday as well, he thought. But, that didn't help him deal with it _now_. Suddenly, he realized Nara was speaking again.

"Sandaime-sama told us something important when we talked to him about it...do you remember what he said?

Arashi considered what she'd asked and tried to remember. It wasn't coming back clearly, and he shook his head no. Nara raised a finger and shook it lightly, then recited.

_"There are times when you can't worry about your team...just do your part and trust that the others will do theirs."_

Nara paused, and the words registered in Arashi's mind. Arashi looked back toward her, and saw her eyes mist over with tears. The look on her face was a consoling one to him, not the disappointed look he'd expected. It dawned upon him then that she was no longer angry. She seemed to be deeply and genuinely concerned, and he was surprised by the change. She spoke again.

"If Sandaime would say that about leading a genin team, they are definitely still applicable now, Arashi...no one expects you to do it all...this isn't your war, it's Konoha's. And we are your team. You are our leader. Surely, Sandaime told you what a Hokage's mission is...this is the time you should do it, and trust that the rest of Konoha will do ours." A confident smile crossed her face, and Arashi found he couldn't help but smile back.

Nara continued, a bit louder, "Do you realize you've reached the pinnacle of shinobi, and you're not even enjoying it? You're killing yourself with worry! I'd never want to be Hokage if I saw you moping around like this all day..."

Arashi chuckled as he considered it. She had been right on all counts. In fact, she'd said exactly what he'd needed to hear. Arashi looked back to her and smiled brightly in gratitude. "Thanks, Nara..." He had been in great need of a reminder that everyone who had supported him thus far hadn't left. One of his greatest friends was still around, and she'd done everything she could to pull him out of the funk he was in. "I appreciate it."

Nara's blue eyes shimmered like an ocean, and she reached up and wiped the tears from them. "Anytime," she said nonchalantly.

"No, really, I mean it. You did something for me today I didn't expect from anyone." Arashi reached into a drawer and pulled out a tissue box, passing it to Nara. He spoke again as she reached for the tissue and wiped away.

"I really was thinking that my support corner had bailed on me. My sensei Jiraiya, almost like my father...my 'mom' Tsunade...my trainer as a kage, Sarutobi...all gone. I've felt so...alone." His eyes shut themselves to block the tears that so suddenly threatened to come out. He'd never forget just how dark and despair-riddled life had been these past few days, when he'd been forced to face it alone. Even though he was an orphan, he'd never experienced that level of uncertainty before today...and now he understood why.

When he was 6, one girl had been there for him after his father's death, and she was back now. And just like that, things didn't seem so uncertain anymore. Arashi opened his eyes again and let the tears flow, not even reaching for a tissue. They were tears of happiness, and he was glad to cry them. "Of all my support crew, Nara-chan...I'm glad you're the one who stayed."

Orochimaru might have started a chain reaction that would put the whole village in danger. Konoha wasn't confident in her own strength, and neither were her enemies. Yet, there was one thing Arashi still had faith in...love.

He realized now that he had faltered because he'd forgotten his love for his friends. With so many of them bailing upon him, he'd allowed worry and despair to fill his heart. Watching Nara blow her nose, he knew he'd never do that again. And he knew that Konoha would not fall...because no one in this village would ever allow their friends and family to fall with it. Whether the enemy was from within or without didn't matter...no one would ever crush this village.

Another set of Sandaime's words came back to him vividly...

_

* * *

_

_"This village…is strong. It was built on the arms of strong leaders, and its people will fight for their friends. But, when a true struggle comes and their strength falters, they will need a reminder…of how strong they truly are. THAT…is your job. NEVER…**EVER**…forget that, Yondaime-sama."_

_

* * *

_

Now, it was clear to Arashi what Sarutobi had meant. And now, he was pretty sure he grasped all of Sandaime's teachings on the subject of being the Hokage. Arashi smiled and considered it all, and felt the confidence return to him. He was ready to be Hokage in truth and deed. Arashi smiled and looked to Nara once more, his green eyes filled with gratitude and love. "Someday, maybe I'll explain to you what all you just did...but for now this will have to suffice."

Nara's confused look suggested that an explanation was indeed necessary, but it would have to wait. Arashi rose from his seat and walked around the desk and extended a hand to Nara. Once she grabbed it, he pulled her up from her seat and into his arms, and gave her the strongest hug he could muster. "Thank you...you've reminded me of more than you know...and you've proven why I call you my best friend."

She hugged him back, but he let go of her as politely as he could. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to have to go back to being Hokage now." He wanted to stay and talk, and he was sure she did too. But, now that he knew what must be done, he had to get with the elders very soon...

Nara nodded and smiled to him. "You do that," she replied, her eyes locked upon his. She could clearly see the strength in his eyes again, and she felt her normal admiration of him take over again. As a blush spread across Nara's face, Arashi hastily told her goodbye and left the room. The difference in Arashi's movement from 15 minutes ago was astounding, but it made Nara proud to know she'd had a hand in it. He had purpose again, and the confidence in his walk suggested that he'd be fine. _You go be the Hokage we all know you can be, _Nara thought.

The days had been dark recently, but Nara was optimistic. _That chapter is over, _her mind declared. _We're turning the page._

_**END CHAPTER 4**_

* * *

Holy crap this fic has jumped from 1000 hits to over 1900 in the time it took me to write this chapter...I'm glad to see people are reading it again! 

This chapter...ehhhh...I'd really like your opinion on it. I've been sick with a sinus infection for a couple of weeks, and my mind gets quite hazy and tired when I'm sick. This wasn't hard to write, but it was AMAZINGLY difficult to correct in that situation. I'd really appreciate any reviews I could get for this part, because I want to make sure it sounds good. Send me a private message or a review if there's anything glaringly wrong with it please. It's an important scene, and I'd hate for a major turning point like this to end up being remembered for how badly it was written. I'll look at it myself when I feel all the way better, but your reviews may avoid 200 people reading a bad version before then!

On another note, this chapter of the fic is complete. If you want to understand the timeline I've been running with, this whole chapter is happening a few weeks after Valor and Harmony 5. Soon, I'll be putting up the same scene as above for Valor and Harmony 6, except that one will be from the point of view of Nara, and will probably be written when I'm no longer sick. :P

Anyway, please read and review!


	12. Chapter 5: Lighting the Fire

Her legs were in one chair, her rear in another. Her cheek seemed almost glued to one of the armrests, and her snoring was audible…loud enough that he was certain it was what had awakened him.

For some reason, he found himself thinking that the scene was _cute_.

He flexed his neck muscles, stretching and quietly yawning. The last thing his hazy brain could pull up from the late night before was the middle of one of her sentences…he found himself wondering who fell asleep first. But it didn't matter anymore, he realized with a smile. He wasn't going to wake her up now…she'd done enough.

"Thank you again, sleepyhead," he whispered. "I'll take it from here."

* * *

**From the Yondaime Story Arc: **

**_Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation  
_**_Chapter 5: Lighting The Fire_

* * *

Mikoto-chan must've been really tired…the sun was shining directly on her face, but she didn't drop any hint of awakening. Reaching for her forehead and a quick caress, he stopped short as her brow wrinkled slightly. His conscience got the better of him, and he snuck out of the room. _Fine…I won't wake her. I need to go anyway. _

With careful movement, he avoided the creaky steps and maneuvered his way out the front door, knowing how easilyhis wifewould awaken if she had any hint he was leaving. Locking the door before closing it, he donned his forehead protector and began the journey.

_Another day, another dollar. _

Before he could even leave his house on the horizon, his plans for the day were modified. Senses honed over twenty years subconsciously turned his head at the first hint of footsteps behind him, and conscious thoughts activated his Sharingan a split second later.

"Fugaku-san! Wait a minute, dang it!"

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed into a squint, even though he could clearly see the young 10-year-old boy running toward him. After all, it wasn't his eyes that were having a hard time comprehending what they saw. The Sharingan gave him all the details he needed to identify the boy. His short, black hair that hung in the air…a Konoha forehead protector oddly displayed around his right elbow…a pair of clear goggles covering his eyes.

Fugaku fought the urge to scowl in frustration. The boy was Uchiha, Fugaku reminded himself, and he had received Uchiha on his front doorstep before. As chief of police, it wasn't even that out of the ordinary, especially in recent days. But, whatever the occasion was that would bring a genin to his house at 7 in the morning couldn't be good."Uchiha Obito. What do you want?"

The boy skidded to a stop a foot away from Fugaku, kicking up a cloud of dust that covered the man's shoes. Again, the scowl never fully set upon his face.

"I have a message from the Hokage!"

Fugaku straightened up automatically, and then realized the Hokage's messenger was a third his age. "What message does he have that couldn't wait until I got to work?"

Obito took a moment to breathe before replying, and the suspense didn't do anything to help Captain Fugaku Uchiha's mood. "Ara—Hokage-sama requests the presence of the Uchiha at the amphitheatre at 9 o'clock to discuss an urgent situation…"

Fugaku nodded. "Okay…a delegation from the police department will be sent, and I will join them…how many does he wish to speak to?"

The youth seemed to pause for a moment, as if considering his words. Then, abruptly…

"No, you don't understand. He wishes to speak to the _Uchiha. _All of them."

Fugaku's jaw dropped slightly.

Obito snapped his fingers. "Wait! That's not what he said. He said every _shinobi! _So, I guess he wanted every genin on up…"

The jaw wagged mutely as Fugaku struggled to gather his thoughts. In the end, anger won out.

"He _can't _have _all _the Uchiha."

Obito shrugged. "He _is _the Hokage…"

Maybe, if he knew how hard he was pressing…**smashing **on Fugaku's buttons, Obito wouldn't have said that. But, Obito was a genin, unfamiliar with the extraordinary amount of work a police department did on an average day. He also didn't realize this had been a week no one would call average.

Had there been a table around, Fugaku would have been sure to pound on it forcefully. Instead, the infuriated man's Sharingan attempted to burn a hole into Uchiha Obito's brain, and the boy turned away from his gaze. Fugaku's voice roared with authority, nearing the point of yelling. "We are conducting an **investigation** into Sazuka's **death**…we have official business that needs to be done! I'm not sacrificing my entire department just to—"

"_Please do not kill the messenger_…" Obito looked away for a moment.

Fugaku's brow furrowed in concentration. "Every second wasted is risking a loss of information in every criminal situation happening within our borders and without…do you realize what you're asking me to do?"

Obito slowly turned his head and faced Fugaku once more. "He said it was vital that every shinobi be there, sir," Obito said, voice quivering slightly.

Fugaku paused once more. _Yes…he is here on borrowed authority…Obito-san is not the one making the request. _Fugaku took a deep breath, and probing red eyes slowly turned to a peaceful brown. And anger turned to curiosity. "What information does he have that will make this meeting worthwhile?"

Obito smiled and abruptly bowed to Fugaku, then turned away somewhat rudely. "My mission was complete when I passed the message. Please consider doing what he asked…"

Fugaku caught on a moment too soon, and grabbed the boy by the arm before he could escape.

"What is the purpose of this meeting?" Fugaku loosened his grip slightly, sending a silent message to the boy.

Obito frowned and jerked his arm free of the man's grasp, but he caught the message and turned to face his elder. "He didn't tell me. He said I'd find out when I got back." Obito fought the urge to express his annoyance fully, and instead measured out a teaspoon of insolence. "I still need to inform the Hyuuga, so if you will…"

Fugaku's eyebrows rose slightly at that comment, then he closed his eyes and nodded silently. The boy ran off, leaping onto the rooftops. A moment of consideration passed before the captain shook his head and turned back toward his path to work. He suddenly wished he'd stayed asleep like his wife.

_The Hyuuga? What is the Yondaime doing? _

_

* * *

_

Hatake Kakashi, too, was completely perplexed.

True, he was only 5, and he had only just become a shinobi about a month before. Maybe he had no clue about how things were supposed to go. But, Kakashi suspected a village as powerful as the Leaf hadn't gotten that way by being disorganized and spontaneous. Perhaps it was a sign of the times.

On the day after he first became a ninja, a grand assembly had been called; the Third Hokage had decided upon his successor and was announcing his retirement. That had been a monumental event, and Kakashi understood the importance of it. The amphitheatre had been packed, and the authority of the Fourth Hokage was established directly by the authority of the Third. Kakashi had figured that to be a one-time thing...to see all the power of the Leaf gathered in one place for one purpose. It had been a grand sight that he wouldn't soon forget.

It was even harder for him to forget now, however, for he and the other genin were now in the same position. In fact, as far as he could tell from looking behind him, all of the Leaf were once again gathered to hear their Hokage speak. Did these types of events happen often? He couldn't remember a single one from his time in the academy...

Kakashi vividly remembered the morning's events, for they had been so sudden. Once his team arrived at morning practice, Arashi-sensei had quite abruptly cancelled. Instead, they were to head to the area where they had gathered on that historic day. He told Kakashi nothing more, but he pulled Obito aside for some reason. Kakashi had sat and waited in the very same spot he had sat in before. After a while, other genin began to trickle into the area. It became obvious that he'd called an important meeting when ANBU began to appear in some makeshift version of their normal uniform.

Kakashi frowned and tried to simply let things happen around him, but as more and more shinobi showed up and took seats, his mind wouldn't stop considering the absurdity of a meeting like this. This country couldn't have functioned very well if meetings like this were commonplace. Was it expected for a ninja village to take a random day off from missions? Would the people begging for protection or babysitters be calm and understanding when their requests were delayed 24 hours? _Isn't the village putting itself in danger by turning its eyes so far inward? _There were so many reasons to believe that meetings like this could _not_ be commonplace...

These reasons were what had Kakashi feeling so apprehensive. For the Yondaime to call a meeting like this so soon after the last one meant something. Kakashi's experiences with the Yondaime had led him to trust the man's abilities. He was a strategical think tank, and a confident fighter. He didn't seem like the type to allow things to overwhelm him. He was the calculating type...very little of what he did lacked purpose. That fact made Kakashi even more curious.

_What could have possibly happened that garnered this order of attention?_

Kakashi noticed that the crowd had filled out completely. Suddenly, the noisy crowd became almost completely silent. Kakashi glanced to his right, and spotted a line of village elders making their way to the front of the amphitheatre. Behind them, the Yondaime himself was walking, his eyes focused directly ahead of him. Arashi-sensei and the elders walked onto the raised dais in front of the crowd, and he took a couple of steps forward, toward the edge of the stage. Kakashi could sense the apprehension in the air as the Hokage silently looked over the crowd.

Kakashi sat quietly and alertly watched his sensei. Whatever the reason for this whole ordeal, he'd find out soon enough. He hardly even noticed when Obito took a seat next to him.

* * *

Arashi sighed as he stepped up onto the dais, his eyes scanning the crowd. His first time on this stage, the faces of the crowd had been covered with smiles and laughter...the smiles, he imagined, were for him. The laughter had inevitably been directed at his instructor, Jiraiya, who was heavily embarrassed by his outburst in the middle of the ceremonies inducting the new Hokage. 

This occasion was notably different. Arashi couldn't find a single face among the shinobi that had a smile...various ranges of stress, confusion, and concern covered their faces. It amazed him to realize just how heavily the spirit of the village had been crushed...and it had only really taken two weeks of messy situations to pull everyone knee deep in the murk. The human spirit could be a truly fragile thing.

Arashi inhaled sharply, so captivated by the pain of his people that he didn't even realize he had been holding his breath. Arashi sent silent thanks to Sarutobi, because thanks to the Sandaime, he at least knew what his best chances of reviving his nation were. A defiant smirk crossed his face, despite the circumstances. They were going to get through this together, damn it.

_But, what exactly am I supposed to say to get them to realize that?_

Sarutobi hadn't taught him that part. Arashi parted his lips, and decided that he would just speak his heart...

* * *

"I have watched Konoha from my window for months now..." Arashi paused slightly, not quite deliberately. 

"I've watched the hustle and bustle of the streets...the energy and smiling faces...in a way I never understood before, I know now that this village thrives on the efforts of every individual shinobi..."

From his quiet seat near the edge of the genin line, Kakashi glanced up into his sensei's eyes, probing in curiosity. _Is this a planned speech, or is he just saying whatever came to his mind?_

"But, in the past week, I've watched silently as those faces have become more and more concerned...weary...and perhaps even afraid. The streets of Konoha are more and more empty by the day, and the village's energy has drained away."

Obito's eyebrows rose. He'd noticed many more adults whispering, and something had seemed off, but he certainly didn't think it was as drastic as his sensei was making it out to be.

"I suspect I know why this has happened, but I don't believe anyone knows the full depth of the situation that has their brothers and sisters so worried. I personally take the blame for that, as I've allowed these situations to fester for too long without bringing them to your attention." Arashi solemnly bowed his head for a moment, but the crowd remained silent.

* * *

Kakashi glanced to his left and spotted a look of worry on Obito's face. As Obito turned and made eye contact, his younger teammate looked at him wide-eyed. 

_What have I so thoroughly missed? _Kakashi caught a different look on Obito's face, one far more painful than the first.

_And...what does he know about this that I don't?_

_--_

Obito frowned and looked down at the grass. _This has to have something to do with Sazuka. _Somewhere in the crowd, he knew, Fugaku and the rest of the Police Squad were around. Part of him suspected they'd get their answers at this meeting...but another part was worried about what the answer would be.

Obito felt his body start to shiver slightly. His father had once told him that his Aunt Sazuka would be the one to train him if he ever learned the art of the Sharingan. Fate had decided upon a different destiny for her.

He felt the enquiring gaze of another genin upon him, and turned to face Kakashi. He made no effort to shield his anxiety from his teammate, instead pleading for an answer with his eyes...

_Who could have killed her? And why?_

* * *

Arashi began again, breaking everyone out of their introspective thoughts again. "There are few things a shinobi village can value more than information...knowing the situation fully can save more than a few lives, and often can decide the outcome of an engagement. As such, I've done each and every one of you a great disservice by being secretive about our situation. That's a disservice I intend to end today. You all deserve to know what's happening within and outside of these walls. Hopefully, this will clarify some of the rumors you may have heard, as well..." 

Arashi took a deep breath. He hated being the bearer of bad news, but it was definitely necessary news this time. He sighed and continued on. "Many of you were aware of the fact that some of our chuunin and young Jounin ninjas were disappearing on the way back from completed missions, and we've suspected foul play for months..." Arashi shut his eyes for a moment, as if trying to fight back some emotion. When he spoke again, his voice wavered slightly. "We have confirmed foul play. They were found underground, along with the culprit. Orochimaru, the snake sennin, has been performing illegal experiments on their bodies, mutilating some and murdering others. Our attempts to capture him proved less than successful, and he has since left the country."

Pausing for a moment, Arashi noticed that no one responded in shock to that "news". It seemed rumors had effectively distributed the truth in this case. _Now for the first bombshell_...Arashi took another deep breath.

"We know of at least two ANBU captains who were killed upon Orochimaru's violent exit from Fire Country...and we have reason to believe that he came back for his student, Mitarashi Anko, and murdered Uchiha Sazuka somewhere along the way."

* * *

The whispering in one part of the amphitheatre picked up abruptly as what the Yondaime had said began to sink in. Somewhere within the crowd of Jounin, Uchiha Fugaku thought he might get a headache soon. He'd gotten some information, all right... 

But how was he supposed to believe that **that** killing had **anything **to do with Orochimaru? It was a simple kunai to the abdomen, not even a guaranteed killing blow! And besides, it was well known that Orochimaru enjoyed slow and painful kills...Sazuka had no other wounds to be noted. Fugaku would have a good word with Yondaime-sama about his sources and their reasons for such a belief...

He didn't even consider the fact that there might be more to speak of...until Arashi spoke again.

* * *

With a fresh breath, Arashi added, "For their own reasons, Orochimaru's former teammates Tsunade and Jiraiya have both chosen to leave the village as well, and their return is not anticipated." 

A few gasps. Apparently that one hadn't gotten all the way around...Arashi entered damage control mode.

"One of the rumors I'm seeking to eliminate is the idea of the Sannin turning against Konoha. While Orochimaru **has **vowed revenge for his exile, neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya left on negative terms with the village...Jiraiya is in fact doing prolonged reconnaissance for us. But their exit marks the end of an era for us all." Arashi gave pause, as if to hammer in the idea that there was nothing else to be said on the subject.

"I'll answer anyone else's questions about the Sannin situation as best I can, but I believe there's another situation that needs our attention much more for now..."

* * *

As Arashi explained the situation with the Rock and Cloud villages, the crowd became even more somber than the young Hokage had imagined they would. Silence dominated the amphitheatre, with the exception of the voice of the Yondaime. Arashi trailed off and scanned the crowd once more. Grim faces all around, as expected with so much bad news. But Arashi's face grew more concerned as he noticed something else. Many of those faces were looking down, and those that weren't looking away seemed distant and glazed. 

Sudden movement near the back of the amphitheatre drew Arashi's eyes toward a late shinobi. Someone was attempting to slip into the Jounin line, and Arashi smiled when he realized it was Nara. Few would hear the end of it if they were late to a mandatory meeting by the Hokage, especially one happening after 9 in the morning...but Nara had an excuse, Arashi knew. She'd stayed up with him the night before on into the morning, helping him gather his thoughts for this occasion.

Seeing her reminded him of the hopes he'd had for this meeting. It had been much more solemn than he'd planned thus far, but he couldn't figure out how to change that on the fly. Unsure of how to combat the emotions he felt within himself and saw brewing on the shinobi's faces, he remembered his own words from earlier...words Nara had planted in his head the night before. _I have to speak my heart…and pull no punches. _Arashi looked out into the crowd at the pained faces and stared them down.

* * *

Nara stood at the back of the crowd, near her Jounin counterparts, and blended in as much as she could. But, the last thing she'd expected was total silence in the amphitheatre as she arrived, and the back of the room had noticed her arrival—if not the entire group. Glancing at the huge amount of people who turned around, looking like they half-expected a ninja of another village to attack, Nara had a good idea of where Arashi was in his speech… 

But, something changed in that one moment…she could sense it. Nara quickly turned her gaze onto Arashi, not noticing that most of the people staring at her did likewise. _It felt like he was trying to keep calm before…but now… _

"Please, get that look off your faces." Arashi was speaking coldly, and the edgy tone on it didn't escape Nara's ears. "I'm serious."

More of the crowd looked up, confused.

Arashi looked out to the crowd, his voice slightly wavering…and Nara blinked as she began to recognize the emotion on her friend's face…perhaps a bit of reluctant empathy.

"I know that look…I've seen it many times on the faces of my teammates…when they think we've bit off more than we can chew…I've seen that look on the face of my genin team…it's the look of defeat…of despair." Nara watched carefully as Arashi balled his fists, seemingly fighting off the same emotions that she knew he himself had embraced not too long ago. "I know how you feel…but I **can't **accept it!"

**_"I am not defeated!" _**Arashi cried out, his voice raspy, yet powerful. **_"And neither are you!" _**Many more people were startled out of the haze of doubt and despair by the power with which Arashi spoke. Alert eyes all around the amphitheatre averted their gaze to him, and Uzumaki Nara smiled. _You've got their attention now, Arashi-kun…can you make them believe?

* * *

_

Arashi took a deep breath and attempted to force down the swirling emotions within him. But, even as the anger began to subside, he couldn't help but sympathize with his people. He could see in their faces…the strain of an imaginary burden…but one that threatened to become real very soon. And he knew that soon enough, each of them would wonder—as he had—whether or not he (or she) could equal the challenge set before him.

"Listen…"

"Sandaime-sama was an amazing Hokage...he went to incredible lengths to avoid war with the other villages…and I'm _just_ starting to understand just how delicate the situation he was dealing with was. The other shinobi villages have often been deterred only by our strength...so they've waited for a moment of weakness. Others remain our friends only by continued effort and diplomacy, and because of a strong memory of the pain of war..."

"But this generation has no famous wars...no dead relatives to tell of...no new orphanages. That's the wonder of the changes Sarutobi was able to make in Konoha and the other villages...but it also has eliminated the fear of war that was the mark of Sandaime's era. It's only a matter of time before one of these countries wills itself to return to the battlefield…and we are the primary target of merit."

Arashi broke out into a smile as he considered what his mentor and senior had done. "But Sandaime-sama did so much more than that! He changed the entire infrastructure of the ANBU in order to train better and more confident leaders for the next generation. He's worked for years to make the chuunin exams a global event, so that **exams**—and not wars—could be the proving ground of the shinobi villages. And he raised a generation in Konoha that would know and love peace and never fight worthless wars." Arashi shook his head and smiled. "I can never amount to half of what he was to this village."

"But the beauty of what he's done is that I don't have to! He worked every day to make sure of that…" Arashi extended his hands to the crowd. "And the proof of his work is standing before me now." Arashi could feel the smile on his face broaden as he considered his next words. "I don't have to make Konoha strong…he already has worked in each and every one of your lives."

The smiles on the faces of the shinobi were vivid, and Arashi knew then that he _would_ succeed in his mission. _Which reminds me…_Arashi licked his teeth and smiled. "He did give me one charge, however…" Arashi took a couple of steps forward and sat down on the edge of the stage, making focused eye contact on a few people as he continued.

"He told me that this village was built on the arms of strong leaders…and that its people would fight for their friends. But, when a true struggle comes, and their strength begins to falter…when they feel that things are hopeless…they might need a reminder of how strong they truly are."

"I'm sure you all are aware of how much faith Sandaime-sama had in your will to fight. I too share his belief…that Konoha can and will defend its own," Arashi spoke confidently. Arashi took another deep breath, and then continued. "But the time is coming where that belief will be put to the test."

"Shinobi of Konohagakure, we **can **defend this village…but it may take years of our efforts to stop the Stone and the Cloud. I will make every effort to buy us time…but I will not deny that war could be around the corner. With one great shinobi village defending itself from two other villages, every ninja within these walls needs to be prepared for anything."

Arashi looked to the genin. "If war does come to our borders, there will be many changes within this city that younger shinobi may have never seen. The main one to be concerned with…is that your teams may be reorganized. Your Jounin will be needed in the field and on the borders of the country, and you may be teamed up with other chuunin or genin that you don't know. Take what time you have to learn from your Jounin while they are here…and get to know your teammates as best you can. And work toward the day when you will be able to defend your friends…we may need you soon."

The Yondaime stood up once more, and raised his voice a bit. "As for you who are older, you at least somewhat know what's coming. Those of you who are in ANBU will have some extra responsibilities in keeping the security tight around our village. The Police Department will help with that…" Arashi paused in thought, and changed his mind. "We can talk about this another time. But, remember to teach your genin everything you can. Help prepare them for what is to come…and fight for their sakes when the time is right."

Arashi glanced around to all the warriors of the Leaf, and saw that the faces were anxious…but he no longer saw the fear and despair of before. "We're all in this together, Konoha…but that's exactly why we can win!"

Smiles crossed the faces of the shinobi, and Arashi allowed the warm silence to linger for a moment. But…only a moment.

Arashi wiped the smile off of his face and used the most commanding tone he could muster. "What are you all still looking at me for? ANBU, back to patrols! Captains and commanders stay here! Jounin and chuunin remain…genin, dismissed for the day! Ikkei!"

Just like that, more than half of the meeting's attendants abruptly disappeared at a wave of Arashi's hand. He knew that planning their next moves might take the rest of the day…but Arashi was convinced that the hardest part of the day was done. The dark cloud had been removed from over his village…and for once, there was hope that it might not return.

Author's Notes:

I was surprised by how difficult it was to write this chapter. Writing the speech wasn't so bad, but when I read it back to myself, I realized just how dull a chapter that was just one humongous speech would be. I hope my efforts to spice things up with different points of view and other characters did…something for it. In the end I found doing the whole thing like that was just too much, so I let Arashi be Arashi for the second half of the speech.

My original thoughts on what this chapter should be are now in question. After seeing how difficult it was to write this speech, I'm wondering if an entire chapter dwelling on the Cloud-Stone-Leaf Conflict would end up being too dry. Admittedly, the rest of the buildup to the conflict and the actual battles would probably be lacking in monologues…and therefore wouldn't be as dry and straightforward as this probably was.

But in addition, I'm questioning how necessary it is to tell that story _here._ This chapter and speech was necessary, I thought, to close up the era of peace in the Leaf Village...I don't know if I see the same importance on illustrating the times of war, even though much of the legend of the 4th Hokage **outside **of Konoha probably stems from the upcoming conflict with Stone Village.

I'm going to take a little time to weigh my options on this one while I work on Valor and Harmony's next chapter. If I choose to skip this part, then we'll flash forward to the second major event in the Yondaime's reign…

A few more notes added after the post...for those who don't remember, Uchiha Fugaku is the future father of those kid prodigies, Itachi and Sasuke. His name isn't used much in the series, I realize, so quite a few may not have caught that detail...not that it's very important to the plot of the chapter.

Those of you who have been reading my work for a while may have noticed by now that I'm a fan of introducing new characters by their thoughts before their names show up...my **hope **is that by doing so, I'm giving you a chance to get into the story a bit more...making the characters a bit more 3-d to you, as opposed to just a name (and maybe a face). If that hasn't been the result, or if you think I'm taking it too far with my mysterious act, please feel free to say something about it.

Heck, say anything. All feedback is welcome feedback!


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